Defying Fate
by ChildOfFate16
Summary: General Ironwood transports some of his most powerful second year students from Atlas to Vale to help protect the kingdom. Among these students is Team KAVS, a team which, in comparison, dwarfs Team RWBY. But will their strength be enough to withstand the chaos in Vale and the malevolent individual who has been secretly hunting them for years? Hope you enjoy :)
1. Prologue: Krev Melek

**A/N: Hello, for those who have yet to see my profile page, Defying Fate will be the first story in my planned Children Of Fate series. Each story will feature some of my sixteen original characters I have created for the series and characters from RWBY itself, so I hope the Children Of Fate series will satisfy the needs of OC and existing character fans alike.**

**But before we begin, I wish to take a moment to remember Monty Oum, the magnificent creator, writer and action scene extraordinaire behind RWBY. My thoughts and prayers will always be with his family and friends, for it is those left behind who suffer the most in times of loss. **

**I would also like to say that if it was not for Monty Oum's greatness, I wouldn't have taken the time to sit down, create my OCs and start writing my first piece of fanfiction, so thank you Monty Oum. Thank you for being a herald for creativity and originality during your short, yet inspirational time on Earth.**

**May your kind, creative soul rest in peace**

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Prologue: Krev Melek

The name 'Remnant' is indeed apt for this world, for the people who remain are isolated – cut off from the outside world and each other by living behind the confining walls of four kingdoms. But I know that not many people see the kingdoms the way I do; most view the kingdoms as protection from the Grimm and nothing more. I believe the current world order to be cold and wasting what remains beyond, but I guess I view Remnant like this because I was raised differently than most ...

It is common knowledge among those who live within the 'protection' of the four kingdoms that those who even attempt to venture beyond vanish without a trace, presumably killed by the Grimm. Such a death would be brutal and the prospect terrifying, but it has never scared me, for, you see, I was born into a nomad tribe who lived outside of the kingdoms. I was once a member of the Wanderer tribe, a group of powerful fighters who constantly travelled - hence the name. We saw amazing sights as we survived off the land and killed any Grimm who tried to destroy our way of life.

I started fighting Grimm from a young age, gaining more and more experience each time I killed and, frankly, gaining more experience than any Hunter or Huntress in training, but when I turned fifteen-years-old, my parents presented me with two curved swords called _Crimson Force_.

"Thank you! Thank you! But why have you given me these?" I was elated, but confused as to why they would give me weapons similar to those wielded by a Huntsmen.

"Because we are nearing Atlas, and you are to become the greatest Huntsmen the world has ever known," said my father proudly.

I remember being infuriated and began to protest, but my mother explained further, saying that I had the potential to become something more than a nomad. She told me I was the most powerful Wanderer to have ever existed and shouldn't waste such power, especially when I could become a hero, a _symbol_ and change the world.

'I will unite Remnant' was the thought which passed through my mind and convinced me to leave the tribe, persuading me to join a combat school in Atlas which started the process of teaching and training the next generation to become Huntsmen and Huntresses – peacekeepers and weapons in a fractured world. I graduated from this school with honours and enlisted in General James Ironwood's academy where, after a number of tests, I was assigned teammates and began my studies.

I enjoyed the student life, loving the company of my teammates and the thrill of constant advanced training sessions against other students and captured Grimm, despite my feelings towards Ironwood's military style of teaching and attitudes. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end ...

After half of my first year had past I received word that the Wanderer tribe, my _family_, had been near Atlas again after almost four years and were attacked, calling for Atlas' help against a mysterious foe which killed them all before the kingdom could react.

According to Ironwood the attack had been carried out by the Grimm, claiming that a bunch of the creatures had somehow 'got lucky' against my experienced tribe and killed them and my … parents. I didn't and will never believe Ironwood's story, for my tribe was skilled and powerful! No Grimm would have stood a chance! No, someone, or something else, had carried out the slaughter and I wanted to leave to find the answers, but Ironwood wouldn't let me! He forbade me from leaving, spouting off how I, a student, wouldn't stand a chance against Grimm strong enough to kill the Wanderer tribe!

I wanted to leave so badly and I could have if I chose to, but Ironwood was right in one respect. I was and am a student, therefore, I must finish my training before seeking out the person, the thing or those who killed my family – for now I must prepare by leading Team KAVS. However ... I will never stop planning my revenge.

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**A/N: I know it was short, but don't worry (if you liked it that is) because Chapter 1 will be a lot bigger and uploaded very shortly. **

**If you enjoyed the prologue, please don't hesitate to leave a review.**

**Take care, ChildOfFate16 **


	2. Ch1: Arrival

**A/N: Sorry for the late addition to this story because when I said 'very shortly' for the next chapter I meant the next day, but life's been busy. Anyway, here is Chapter 1 of Defying Fate! Yeah! :) **

**But before you start reading I want to quickly give a shout out to Heavy1825 for being the first person to review this story. **

**Okay, you may now commence.**

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**Chapter 1: Arrival**

Vale was indeed a beautiful kingdom, its style a mixture of friendly looking towns and modern buildings, or, at least, that's how it looked from their current altitude.

Krev Melek stood by one of the airship's portholes, red leather (well, fake leather anyway) covered arms crossed beneath his chest as he stared down at the structures moving beneath them. From high above, Vale looked peaceful, but he knew it was frantic down there – he knew the Vale council and the citizens were preparing for the Vytal Festival and trying to recover from yesterday's White Fang attack. Their progress, however, was being hindered by the presence of multiple Grimm (remainders from the attack) still roaming the streets or hiding underground.

But that was, after all, one of the reasons why he, the rest of Team KAVS and Team NOVA were really there.

After yesterday's White Fang attack, Ironwood was put in charge of security for the Vytal Festival. Jumping at the opportunity to militarise Vale, Ironwood ordered a fleet from Atlas to make its way to the sister kingdom.

Krev saw the fleet before leaving Atlas and it wasn't going to be here anytime soon, so Ironwood ordered his two most trained, skilled and powerful second year teams be transported from Atlas to Vale overnight using experimental airships to help protect Beacon Academy, its staff and its students before the arrival of the fleet. It all sounded nice on paper, but KAVS and NOVA were mainly there to wipe out the last of the Grimm running wild in Vale and to protect the festival if need be.

Protecting the school was just something to do in the meantime.

"How the _Hell_ can you stand by that window?"

Krev looked over his shoulder and smirked, amused by Silver's obvious discomfort.

"Don't like flying?" Krev asked wickedly.

Silver was an eighteen-year-old, pale-skinned human with long silver hair and black eyes. He was wearing his combat uniform, which was a silver-coloured samurai armour vest over a light grey shirt, silver-coloured samurai armour plates with black trims strapped onto the outsides of his arms, _Eclipse_ – a form fitting gauntlet – on his left arm, light grey cargo pants, a black belt with a silver-coloured metal buckle, a pair of black shoes and a light grey bandanna across his forehead to keep his hair from falling into his eyes. It could not be seen, but Silver also wore a scabbard across his back for carrying around his katana, _Moonlight_.

"You know I don't!" Silver snapped back.

Krev chuckled to himself as he looked towards the other airship, NOVA's airship, travelling parallel to them. He couldn't see past the tinted windows, but Krev knew either Violet or Ash was doing the same as him: staring down at the kingdom and contemplating Ironwood's goal.

_Was he really interested in protecting the kingdom or was there something else? Was Ironwood just doing all of this to piss off Professor Ozpin for some perverse entertainment?_

"Contemplating the infinite again?" asked Valery as she strolled over and stood next to him.

Valery was an eighteen-year-old human with long black hair and blue eyes. She was also wearing her combat uniform, which was a long, closed, forming fitting, pristine white trench coat with a light blue trim and a large, semi-circle collar which framed her neck.

Her trench coat had an interesting design as it never closed using a fabric belt threaded through holes around the waist; instead the coat was closed by five white buttons running diagonally – from the left shoulder to the right hip – across the front of the torso, just above the blue trim, therefore, the fabric which ran down over her legs and down to her ankles was never closed and separated during battle and when she moved around, revealing the pair of white trousers underneath. Valery also wore a pair of black, flat heeled boots and a white shirt under her trench coat. Her mace, _Thunderclap_, was currently hanging down her left side, the fabric strap threaded through the base of the handle around her left arm.

"Am I that obvious?" asked Krev.

"When thinking about the General? Yes. You always look moody and I never know why."

Since day one at the military-styled academy, Valery idealised Ironwood, going as far to fashion her combat uniform to emulate his official uniform. Ironwood could do no wrong in her eyes – a fact that had really ticked off Krev on more than one occasion.

"I think our leader prefers 'broody', Val."

Krev and Valery glanced over towards Amber standing by the front of the ship as she, like them, stared down at the kingdom.

Amber was an eighteen-year-old human with long blonde hair and brown eyes. She, like Silver, Valery and himself was wearing her combat uniform. The main focus of her uniform was a long, open, dark orange coat with an amber-coloured trim, a spikey collar, massive flares at the bottom which ran down to her ankles and an untied fabric belt threaded through holes around the waist. The look belonged to the era of classic rock bands, but it suited her.

There were also two splits at the back of Amber's coat which began at the waist and ran to the bottom, forming a rectangular tail, therefore, every time Amber moved fast enough during combat, the coat wafted out behind her, causing the tail and the flares to form the shape of a diving bird of prey.

In addition, Amber was also wearing a black shirt underneath her coat, dark orange jeans, a black belt with a gold-coloured metal buckle, a pair of black, high heeled boots, and two mechanical crossbows – the two halves of her weapon, _Burning Star_ – attached to the tight fitting forearms of her coat.

"It's a damn impressive sight, don't you think?" Amber asked, not bothering to turn around to receive an answer.

"I reiterate: How can you people stand so close to the windows?" Silver asked the group.

"It's not our fault you're afraid of heights," said Amber, turning on the spot to look over at Silver.

Silver was an excellent fighter with only one fear in life, so Krev and the others never expected him to be scared of heights as well.

"Usually I'm not," he defended himself, crossing his arms to mimic his crimson-themed leader, "but that's because we usually travel in airships with no windows, but this thing has windows, so I feel woozy every time I even _try_ to look outside."

"Then let's hope you don't ever need to ride on the back of a Nevermore," Valery said with an amused smirk. "I heard about these two girls who _actually_ did that earlier this year during their initiation at Beacon. Lord knows why."

"Wonder how they did it?" Amber said curiously while tilting her head slightly, as if imaging the scenarios and forming a plan in case they ever had to do it themselves someday.

Terrified by the thought, Silver tightened his crossed arms as if to embrace himself. The two girls noticed this reaction and instantly began to tease him further, but he retaliated by reminding Valery of the time she accidently put her coat in the same washer as Violet's tunic, which dyed it pink.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!" Amber said happily. "What did we call you again?"

"Don't say it," Valery growled at the other girl, but it was the samurai who reminded the group.

"Candy Floss."

Krev remembered the incident, and it happened during their third week at school. It began when Valery's signature coat was dyed pink, but it became quite humorous when she found it impossible to wash out the dye for an entire week. It was amusing because she didn't have a spare coat and it was the middle of winter, so Valery was forced to wear the article of clothing every time she went outside as well as when she sparred.

The others smirked as they remembered that Valery was forced to wear it everywhere they went and was called 'Candy Floss' during _every_ conversation they had amongst themselves and with Team NOVA. Krev wished he felt amused, but those happier times had been corrupted by the death of his tribe.

"Why did you just say that?!"

"Because it was funny, Val," chuckled Silver. "Especially when Ash-"

The samurai would have continued, but he began to laugh so hard he couldn't keep talking.

Amber looked confused for a moment, but then joined in with Silver's hysterical laughter as she suddenly remembered about Ash's contribution to the weeklong joke.

"Ha ha," mocked Valery. "Laugh like the clowns you really are."

"Oh please!" Amber cried out in laughter. "You were the clown carrying around a _pink_ mace!"

After three days of Valery wearing a pink coat, Ash … 'borrowed' _Thunderclap_ and used a marker to colour it so the weapon matched the mace wielder's attire. It made the joke funnier because, in a perverse way, a pink mace kind of looked like candy floss.

Valery began to giggle at her own expense upon picturing what she must have looked like, but she still wanted revenge for the last comment.

"Well if you find that funny, Amber, then perhaps I should tell everyone about the time I walked in on you _alone_ with _Burning Star_?"

"You wouldn't," the blonde gasped.

"I would."

"Wait, what happened," asked Silver.

"Nothing!" said Amber in an attempt to silence Valery before she spoke a single word. "Nothing at all!"

Krev watched as his teammates continued to laugh at their own friendly banter, but he wasn't entertained. No, he was far from it. Deep in thought, Krev looked down upon the structures below once more and pondered over what a stay in Vale, a kingdom currently thwart with problems, would bring for his team.

He also wondered if Ironwood, a military strategist, would be truthful to Professor Ozpin's students about the arrival of Teams KAVS and NOVA and not try to pull any propaganda bull.

He hoped for the best, but if experience was anything to go by, Krev knew he would need to watch out for himself, his team and his friends over on Team NOVA.

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While Team KAVS occupied one airship, Team NOVA occupied the other.

Sapphire, like the majority of his team and Team KAVS, saw Vale as a beautiful kingdom, but unlike the others, Sapphire Niebieski had no desire to glare at the structures as they passed over them. Instead he was taking the opportunity to meditate to keep his Semblance in check, but he certainly wasn't disconnected from the world…

The leader of Team NOVA possessed a strange Semblance and he knew it, a Semblance that couldn't really be described in one word like so many, but it was similar to Krev's and allowed him to sense the thoughts and emotions of others who could manifest their Aura, however; this ability only came into effect when meditating.

Relaxed and focused, he could sense what his teammates were doing and thinking.

Both Violet and Ash were staring down at the kingdom, wondering if they would be able to kill all the Grimm on _and_ below the streets before they were killed by a lucky opponent – a rather dark outlook, but neither of them had the best of luck or the best start in life – while Orion was, while Orion was …

"Can you please stop staring at me?" Sapphire opened his eyes to see Orion siting crossed legged in front of him, gazing at him.

"Am I putting you off?" said Orion, looking embarrassed.

Orion was an eighteen-year-old human with short blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing his combat uniform, which was pretty normal when compared to the rest of Team NOVA or any other uniform sported by Team KAVS. Sure the young blonde wore a long, emerald-coloured elegant coat like Amber and Valery, but he was only dressed in a plain green shirt underneath along with a pair of mint-coloured cargo pants, a green belt with an emerald-coloured metal buckle and a pair of black shoes.

Orion would have appeared average to Sapphire, but the frequently called 'Blue Knight' (a nickname given to him by his closest friends) knew the two halves of _Boundless Fire_ were strapped to the blonde's forearms beneath his sleeves.

"Oh no," replied Sapphire with a sarcastic tone, "having someone staring at you when mediating isn't off-putting at all."

"All right, all right, there's no need to get snippy."

Sapphire smirked in amusement as Orion stood up and walked over to a window, leaving his leader in peace, however; Sapphire had no interest to attempt meditation again after he saw Violet standing near the back of the airship, arms crossed beneath her chest as she stared down at the kingdom in sadness, not in fear like he had sensed before when he was mediating.

Getting off the floor wasn't easy in his armour, but he managed it and walked over to Violet, passing by an uninterested Ash.

"Why the long face?" he asked as he halted next to Violet.

Violet was an eighteen-year-old human with long, tied back, extremely dark purple hair and eyes. She was wearing her combat uniform, which was a sleeveless, body fitting, dark purple tunic with a black vertical stripe running down the middle of the torso to emphasis her arms, a pair of dark purple cargo pants, a black belt with a purple-coloured metal buckle and a pair of dark purple, flat heeled boots.

"No reason," she said devoid of emotion, not even bothering to glance at him as she replied.

Talking to Violet when she wasn't in the mood to talk was like trying to get blood from a stone, so he didn't press her, or, at least, he didn't press her using a direct approach.

Sapphire looked out of the window to gaze upon the airship travelling opposite theirs and sensed Krev's thoughts, but not in any sort of psychic way, but in an instinctive sort of way like you would with a brother. Sapphire knew Krev was thinking the same as Violet and Ash were before.

_Will they all come out of this alive? Will they defeat the remaining Grimm in Vale? What were Ironwood's true intentions?_

Both KAVS and NOVA were highly experienced, trained, skilled and powerful teams whose members had killed countless Grimm in the past, especially Krev, but it only took one lucky Grimm to deliver that fatal strike when your Aura was low and your defences were down.

"Have you ever considered dating Krev?" the Blue Knight asked Violet.

"Why do you ask?" she chuckled. Sapphire liked it when she showed any ounce of happiness.

"Because you two think a lot alike."

"Not interested," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "So I take it you're reading his mind right now?"

Sapphire could only sense a trail of thought and not an actual thought while meditating, but even when he meditated he could never seem to sense anything Krev thought, which he was glad about since Krev's mind wouldn't have been filled with puppies and rainbows.

"No, but I know how he thinks, and I definitely know how _you _think."

"Oh really?" she asked playfully. "So what am I thinking?"

Violet was lightening up a bit, which was always nice to see.

"You're thinking about what's going to happen in Vale. You can't stop asking yourself: Are we going to get out of this alive? Are we going to kill or get killed? And what are Ironwood's plans?"

"Good deduction Psychic Boy, but that isn't what I'm thinking right now."

"Oh yeah, so what _are_ you thinking?"

There was silence as Violet tensed up and withdrew into herself, which was a clear give away about what she was actually thinking.

"It's about your parents isn't it?" Sapphire whispered in shame. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "I was just thinking about how my parents always used to tell me and my brother how much they always wanted to see Vale …" she paused for a moment, reliving a memory of happier times before continuing "… now here I am, living their dream."

An air of depression engulfed Violet as she continued to glare at the kingdom below them, but Sapphire knew her mind was elsewhere.

Violet didn't like to admit it, but she often thought about her past.

When she was eight-years-old, Violet went through a traumatic accident which resulted in the death of her parents and the complete destruction of her forearms. Left distraught and disabled by the accident, Violet was given basic prosthetic limbs before she and her older brother, Raphael, went into care.

Such an event could tare siblings apart, but they stayed close to each other, with Raphael primarily caring for his younger sister because of her arms.

After one and half years in care, they were both taken to see Doctor Rajada, a weapons specialist who had taken an interest in Violet. Doctor Rajada worked on several top secret projects for the Atlas military, one of which was giving people a second chance through the use of weapons technology – giving, instead of taking, a life through weaponry.

Having studied Violet and her brother for over a year, Rajada knew Violet was drawing from her emotional pain for strength and using it to drive herself forward, so he made her an offer …

_I will give you back your arms if you become a Huntress. _

Rajada already knew of Raphael's Semblance and his yearning to become a Hunter, but Violet was a mystery; he just hoped she'd picked up her brother's desires, however; her decision was not based on what Raphael wanted.

Violet might have been approaching ten-years-old at the time, but she knew of the Grimm like everyone else and wanted to help people – she wanted to prevent loss and pain like hers, so she accepted the offer. Elated by the news, Rajada made the final adjustments to a pair of mechanical forearms and Violet soon went into surgery with nothing, but when she came out, Violet had two mechanical gauntlets that had been surgically grafted to what remained of her arms.

After all of this, Violet was trained on how to operate her new arms in their standby mode and in their combined weapon mode before attending Atlas academies to become a Huntress.

Violet's story was heart breaking, but it drove her, making her the toughest, yet most vulnerable member of NOVA, therefore, Sapphire absolutely trusted her in battle and had an overwhelming desire to help and protect her during their day-to-day lives even though she really didn't need it.

"Do you think Ironwood's gonna let us participate in the tournament?" said Ash as he walked over to join them.

Ash nudged Sapphire lightly on his arm – it was his way of saying 'hi' – and gave a quick smile, greeting his friend and leader.

Sapphire was unsurprised to find Ash wearing his combat uniform, which was a black vest with a white-coloured symbol – his symbol – on the bottom left (just above the waist), a pair of black trousers, a black belt with a silver-coloured metal buckle and a pair of black trainers. This look only served to match and emphasise his short black hair, black eyes, the horrific scar beneath his left eye and the scars running down his right arm.

The Blue Knight liked Ash, finding him both friendly and entertaining most of the time considering his solemn demeanour towards current affairs i.e. whenever they did something, he thought about the negative like Violet and Krev. Sapphire found it quite sad that most just saw him as a wild killing machine, which he wasn't denying, but Ash was no Krev. No, people saw him that way because of his left arm, which was, after all, not technically an arm even though it looked and functioned like one, because it was actually a surgically grafted cybernetic arm tipped with a razor-sharp claw.

Sapphire found advanced prosthetic to be a rather unique and powerful weapon as well as being an arm for everyday use, so it hurt every time Ash nudged him, but thankfully not today because he was wearing his armour.

"I doubt it," Violet replied.

At least Violet was talking again. Sapphire had feared their conversation was going to render her mute for quite a while.

"Well that's a shame," breathed Ash. "I was really hoping to come face-to-face with Ironwood's favourite."

Sapphire and Violet turned to him, surprised by his statement.

"You want to fight Krev?!" asked Violet, the shock evident on her face.

"Are you insane?!" called Orion from the other end of the airship.

It was common knowledge among Teams KAVS and NOVA that Ironwood had put Krev on a high pedestal long ago, viewing him as a Huntsman with the capacity to one day wipe the world clean of the Grimm. No one disagreed with Ironwood's view, especially Sapphire; he had sparred with Krev multiple times in the past and knew he was destined to again, never winning and always walking away with quite a few injuries.

He never held this against Krev, he should have, but he didn't because they were friends and understood each other …

They were both leaders.

Sapphire's team, however, disapproved of Krev's attitude during battle and the way he treated his fellow students, but this didn't mean they wanted revenge. In actuality they had become more wary of Krev during sparring sessions and were loathed to be his opponent, hence Violet and Orion's reactions.

"Oh God no!" said Ash, contorting his face as if disgusted by their suggestions. "I'm talking about another student."

Sapphire crossed his arms, mimicking Violet – his attention had been grasped by Ash.

"Who?" Sapphire inquired.

"No clue," Ash shrugged. "All I know is the student is here in Vale and going to be participating in the Vytal Tournament."

"Do you have any idea who it could be?" asked Violet, her question directed towards Sapphire.

"None," he said, turning to watch Orion walking over to join them. "Do _you_ know?"

"Haven't heard a thing," answered Orion as he strolled over, "but what I want to know is how Ash knew something."

They all glared at Ash, awaiting his answer.

"Please," scoffed Ash. "Do you really think a technological genius like me hasn't kept tabs on the big man?" That was another personality trait most didn't see with Ash – his arrogance. "No, all I know is that Ironwood's got a new favourite and they're here in this kingdom already, which also means that Ironwood's got another secret he's keeping from us."

A few teams back at the academy had begun to notice a subtle change in Ironwood's personality over the last few months, but no more than teams NOVA and KAVS. Both teams, excluding Valery, had become increasing aware of Ironwood's secrecy and were always on the lookout, never entirely trusting what he said or his orders, but they still followed them because they had no choice.

"So what now?" said Orion, asking no one in particular.

"We have to tell KAVS," replied Violet before adding, "or at least Krev."

Silence fell as Sapphire thought about the situation, trying to decide whether a favourites change was a big deal or not, but he soon came to a decision.

"I agree," he told his team, "but I don't want Valery to know anything, so I'll find a way to only tell Krev when we land."

They all knew something that didn't appear to be a big deal with Ironwood probably was, therefore, Orion, Violet and Ash all nodded in unison, agreeing with his plan.

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Below on the streets of Vale stood an elderly gentleman in a pure white suit. His wrinkled features and cascading grey hair made him look ancient, as if he should have been hunched over and walking with a cane, but he carried himself like an overly confident teenager – shoulders back and chest out – as he stepped out of a dark alleyway to scrutinise the two airships travelling overhead.

Sensing the individuals he'd been hunting for years a mere few hundred feet above him, the man gave a fiendish smile, baring his stained teeth. He then slowly uttered a satisfying truth with meticulous diction, his deep, cold, elegant voice terrifying the Gods themselves.

"Finally I've found you."

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**A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you liked the introductions of Team KAVS (pronounced 'carves' for anyone who might have been wondering), Team NOVA and the elderly gentleman, for this is merely the beginning. **

**Okay, I'm going to tell you my plan for uploading chapters, but before I do that, I'd just like to say I hear Paul Darrow's voice every time the elderly gentleman speaks. **

**All right, now for my plan. I would absolutely love to upload one chapter every week, but my life is extremely busy right now, so I'll be uploading a chapter every 2 – 4 weeks on average, but if I run ahead of schedule I'll try to upload early. I would have waited until I had a few more completed chapters to start uploading, but in light of recent events I decided to stop sitting on my hands and publish – I hope you understand. **

**Until next time feel free to review.**

**Take care, ChildOfFate16 **


	3. Ch2: No Rest For The Obsessive

**A/N: Hello again! I'm ahead of schedule, so I was able to upload chapters 2 and 3 on the same day. Hope you enjoy.**

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**Chapter 2: No Rest For The Obsessive**

_Who was that woman? Was that person even a woman?! Yes, of course they were a woman! But who is she then?! Why did she save me?!_

Yang shifted on the top of her bed, unable to rest after yesterday's events and with tons of questions filling her mind.

Team RWBY had gone on their first mission two days ago and were supervised by Professor Oobleck, sorry, _Doctor_ Oobleck as they investigated Mountain Glenn for any suspicious criminal activity. For a time they, including Yang, believed they had been mistaken about the exact location where the White Fang had been operating outside of the kingdom's borders, but when they found Ruby after she went missing they discovered an underground hideout and, soon after, the White Fang's plan to create openings in the old rail network to lead the Grimm straight to Vale. For what purpose no one knew, but RWBY had stopped Torchwick and the destruction of the kingdom.

After such a long day with little sleep the previous night, the team had decided it was time to rest.

As the sun set on the day of the 'Breach', Team RWBY had returned to their dorm and every member had collapsed onto their designated beds, not even bothering to get changed or have a shower. It was kind of gross when you thought about it, but they didn't care – they _were_ Huntresses-in-training after all and they needed the rest.

Yang turned onto her side and gazed at Ruby, her little sister, snoring away as she slept with _Crescent Rose_ in her arms like a teddy bear. The sight amused Yang, but it wasn't enough for her mind to relax.

The woman who had saved her life and mysteriously disappeared was all she could think about. It was the reason why she fought like an amateur in Vale yesterday and why she couldn't sleep now. Sure she had slept through the evening and the night like her teammates, but it was now coming up on 8.00am and she was wide awake.

_Who was that woman? Was that person even a woman?! Yes, of course they were a woman! But who is she then?! Why did she save me?!_

Yang wanted to still be asleep like her friends, but it was the same questions running though her head over-and-over again!

Taking her eyes off Ruby, Yang hung her head over the edge of her bed and looked down to see Blake sprawled out over her bedcovers, drooling as she slept. Seeing her partner reminded her that she had preached to Blake not too long ago about resting for herself, for her friends and to stop obsessing, but she was now doing the same thing.

Not taking her own advice on board really frustrated her, but Yang was happy to see Blake finally resting properly and hoped she would be less worried about the situation since, and Blake had said it herself, Torchwick and several members of the White Fang were now imprisoned.

Feeling relaxed as she gazed at Blake for some strange reason, Yang decided it was time to close her eyes and attempt sleeping again for the billionth time, but as her eyelids closed, her scroll played an Achieve Men track on a low volume within her right-hand shorts pocket.

Yang had decided to keep her Scroll on and put it on a low volume in case anything happened as they were resting – a decision Yang regretted as she reached into her shorts and pulled out her Scroll to read the message.

_Message to all first year students,_

_A special presentation is to be held in the amphitheatre in one hour. Please reframe from your current activities/classes and proceed to the amphitheatre immediately. If you are more than 5 minutes late, then you will be prohibited from entering. Please note that all students who participated in yesterday's battle must also attend. _

_Sincerely,_

_General Ironwood_

"Well I guess that means us as well," Yang whispered, her voice filled with disappointment.

After being debriefed by Professor Ozpin after yesterday's Breach, Team RWBY – like the other teams involved with the fight – had been given the entire Wednesday off to rest, but Ironwood's message pretty much nullified that.

Yang thought it was strange for anyone other than Professor Ozpin to send messages to an entire year's students, but it was particularly odd for General Ironwood – a headmaster from another school – to send such a message. She stared at her Scroll for a moment longer, pondering over the reasons why Ironwood had sent the message, but as quickly as the curiosity manifested it dissipated with a casual shrug.

She put the Scroll back into her pocket and rolled off her bed, landing on her feet. Yang stretched her legs and looked around the bright room at her teammates being illuminated by the morning sun, wondering if it was her responsibility to wake them all up because she was the first to rise. She settled on the answer being a resounding 'yes', but didn't know who to awaken first. Sure Ruby and Blake were sleeping in humorous ways, but so was Weiss – the heiress had her ponytail between her teeth.

"Choices, choices …" Yang whispered to herself, but she decided a heartbeat later on a fun way to get them all up at once by only messing with one.

Yang stepped forward and bent down to wet her pinkie in the puddle of drool on Blake's pillow, which was gross, but it was worth it when she gently put the damp finger into one of Blake's human ears.

Feeling an uncomfortable wetness in her ear, Blake yelled out as she woke up sharply, causing Ruby to lean up and … 'aimlessly aim' _Crescent Rose_ at invisible enemies with her eyes semi-closed, mumbling "I'm awake, I'm awake," as Weiss emitted spitting noises as she spat out her hair.

Yang tried to keep a straight face, but their reactions were too funny.

"What the Hell, Yang?!" shouted Blake as she desperately tried to wipe her ear dry. "Why did you spit in my ear?!"

"Who says that's spit?" smiled Yang.

"You're disgusting sometimes."

"So are you Blakey, you knew what I meant." Yang winked at her before continuing. "Besides, that's your own drool."

"I don't drool."

Yang tilted her head to indicate the puddle.

"Oh my God I drool," said Blake as she noticed the wet patch on her pillow.

"Again, who says that's actually drool? Maybe you just had some fun with your pillow during the night?"

Blake's eyes widened at the remark and her cheeks turned scarlet, but before she could react with an outraged comment to hide her embarrassment from her partner, the heiress spoke.

"Was I eating my own hair?!" Weiss shouted in disgust.

"You must have been hungry," said Yang, but the heiress ignored her.

"I feel like a cat trying to cough up a fur ball!" Weiss suddenly looked nervous and looked over at Blake. "No offence."

Their focus was on Blake again, but this time it couldn't end with an innuendo or an inappropriate comment, so the Faunus didn't mind. Blake had no idea why Yang's occasional sexual comments made her feel embarrassed and strangely warm inside, but she wasn't going to focus on that right now, so she put her curiosity to the back of her mind for the time being.

"None taken," replied Blake as she got off her bed to stand next to Yang. "Why did you get us up, Yang? What time is it anyway?"

"Yeah?!" shouted Weiss.

Yang liked to fluster Blake and was always instantly filled with joy every time she made the Faunus blush. It made her feel so happy, she had no idea why, but she wasn't focusing on that right now because one of her comments had made Blake blush … _again_, so Yang gave her partner a self-satisfied grin before answering the question.

"It's 8.00am and-"

"8.00am!" yelled Ruby, interrupting her sister. "That means we've only been asleep for _thirteen_ hours!"

Ruby slumped back and closed her eyes, acting like over half a day's rest wasn't enough.

"It's time to get up sis," Yang said cheerily.

"No," mumbled Ruby.

"Come on sis," Yang said in her best motherly tone, "don't make me drag you out of bed."

"Just ignore her for a moment and tell us why you got us up," demanded Weiss, stretching her arms out in front of her.

"I got a message from General Ironwood saying he wants all first years to go to the amphitheatre."

"General Ironwood?" Blake asked. "Why would he send a message?"

"I honestly don't care!" said Weiss, storming over to the bathroom to, most likely, fix her hair. "As long as it's not another crisis!"

Yang and Blake smirked at each other, sharing the same thought: If they thought a well-rested Weiss was bad enough, an over tired one was going to be worst.


	4. Ch3: Secrets

**Chapter 3: Secrets**

The eight members of Teams KAVS and NOVA walked down a large, highly decorated passage lined with stone pillars, looking around in awe at the architecture as they made their way to a particular special location, however; Krev was gazing at something a little more interesting…

_Ash told us on the way here about a student back at the academy. Apparently he/she is Ironwood's new favourite – sorry mate – and might be here in Vale as one of the competitors in the Vytal Festival tournament. Ash is hoping to fight this person, but I don't know if that's a smart idea, I mean, the last person who Ironwood favoured was you, so whoever this person is has to be one powerful son of b-_

"What are you reading there?"

Krev was reading the note Sapphire had slipped him when as they disembarked from the airships, but Valery didn't need to know that.

"Nothing important," he told her, folding the paper.

"If you didn't want to tell me, then you just needed to say so." Valery didn't sound offended in the slightest as she shrugged off his cold response and returned to staring at the pillars, but she should have been since he, the rest of his team, and Team NOVA did not trust her these days.

Krev slipped the note into one of his pockets and pondered over the knowledge Sapphire had just imparted: a student they knew nothing about who was Ironwood's new favourite, in Vale and potentially a tournament contestant … it was certainly an interesting development.

For almost two years his friends had constantly teased him about being Ironwood's favourite, but for all that time he didn't care about being anyone's favourite or about being teased. Nothing had changed since then on both accounts, but in light of this new development Krev began to feel worried. He wasn't jealous, but scared that Ironwood could so easily hide a student and was, most likely, hiding a powerful ace up his sleeve for some unknown purpose.

"What do you think Ozpin is like?" Silver asked, but to no one in particular.

They all knew they were in Vale to help with the Grimm extermination and to help with security, but back in Atlas the eight students had been given orders to leave in their combat uniforms, study their provided maps of Beacon, disembark immediately upon landing in Vale and finally make their way to Professor Ozpin's office for further instructions. It was a tight set of orders and misleading; Krev knew the two teams weren't going to Ozpin's office to receive new orders … they were going to Ozpin's office to be paraded around as good-little-soldiers. Krev knew the moment they walked through the door that Ironwood would ask them all to line-up so he could show off his powerful stock and taunt his fellow headmaster.

Krev didn't understand the reasons for Ironwood's distrust or hatred towards Ozpin, but those emotions were certainly there and Ironwood was about to get a lot of pleasure out of rubbing his promotion in Ozpin's face.

"Heard he's a mysterious, but great man," said Valery, "not as great as the General, but you know … he's apparently a natural leader who knows all the answers to life's mysteries and petty problems. Although, I say all this, but he couldn't hold on to his position as the festival's protector right?"

"He is indeed a great man," said Amber, ignoring Valery's obvious attempt to talk up Ironwood and put down Professor Ozpin. "He observes his students and gets the very best out of them, which causes many of them to admire and trust him to the same level as Port, Goodwitch, Oobleck and the other professors who teach at this school."

"Then why did you leave?" Violet asked in an extremely cold, serious tone.

"Well, uh, he isn't infallible as proven by recent history and this school couldn't offer everything I needed."

"And the General could?" Violet said coolly.

"Hey!" Silver happily shouted to interrupt Amber's interrogation and to distract the teams with a new, irrelevant topic. "Does anyone else think it's funny that if Professors Port, Ozpin, Goodwitch and Oobleck were in a team it would be called Team POGO? I mean, how funny is that?!"

"Quite funny," replied Valery.

"Oh man," wined Orion. "I'm gonna have that in my head as we talk to him now."

"Try not to think about it," Ash advised.

"That just makes things worse."

"How?!" Ash sounded genuinely surprised as he asked Orion in a belittling tone.

"Because the more someone says, or you think, 'don't think about blah blah', you just end up thinking about it more."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Oh really?" Orion said smugly. "Then don't think about an Ursa hula dancing or, better yet, a pack of Beowolves singing karaoke."

There was silence from Ash and the rest of the group as the strange imagery invaded their minds.

"Asshole," Ash eventually whispered under his breath, making Orion chuckle.

"Oh thanks for that," Silver yelled playfully. "I'm going to have those images in my head all day now."

"I'm going to be having nightmares about them," joked Valery.

Half of the group emitted spurts of laughter, but Krev was not a part of this. For the entire time Krev had been partially paying attention to the other's speak as he glanced between a nervous Amber and Sapphire quietly ordering Violet to have more respect even though she was in a bad mood.

Krev was unsurprised by any of his friends' behaviour. The inane conversation and laughter might have annoyed him, but he knew they were trying to calm their nerves; Violet might have been rude and disrespectful to a friend, but her lack of social etiquette was understandable; and Amber, despite being a strong-willed, magnificent woman had good reason to be nervous.

* * *

The sound of cogs interconnecting may have been seen as a distracting sound by most, but Professor Ozpin found it soothing as he worked. To him, the sound made his office feel not only a more spacious environment, but a relaxing one as well – a feeling only enhanced on the occasions when he had a mug of his favourite beverage in his hands.

Ozpin really wished he could have just got up, go to the dining hall and make himself a pot in order to relax, for his office wasn't a relaxing environment today…

After the Breach, General Ironwood had been promoted to – for lack of a better term – 'the protector of Vale and its people' during the Vytal Festival, so having the General standing in front of his desk made Ozpin feel tense, but he wasn't going to give Ironwood the satisfaction of seeing him in any distress.

"When are your students going to arrive?" Ozpin asked in a polite manner. "Despite what you believe General, I am a rather busy man."

"So am I old friend," replied the General as he stared at the closed office doors. "That's why they will be here soon."

Ozpin hadn't heard the General call him 'old friend' in years, but that was understandable as they had displayed different, conflicting methods for handling the current situation. It was like Ironwood felt more comfortable about their situation while being in total control, which spoke volumes about the man's personality.

"Why are we even doing this?"

"I wish for my top students to meet you Oz," said the General. "You are, after all, the headmaster of _one_ of Remnant's most prestigious schools."

Ozpin could practically feel the ugly mixture of condescension, arrogance and lying oozing from the General's statement. This angered him, but Ozpin maintained his usual calm expression and all-knowing tone as he changed the conversational topic whilst they waited.

"So how goes your interrogation of Roman Torchwick?" he asked.

Ironwood's shoulders arched as he turned to face the professor.

"How did you-?"

"Please, General," said Ozpin, raising a hand to interrupt his … 'old friend', "I might be out of the loop now, but I'm not stupid. I know how you operate and I know Roman Torchwick is in your custody, so … has he given you any indication of who is really pulling the strings?"

"I would love to tell you Ozpin, but as I'm in charge of security now and dealing with the White Fang affair, I am not at liberty to disclose such information."

Ozpin 'disclosed such information' to Glynda _and_ the General when he was in charge, so he could if he wanted to, but Ironwood was obviously choosing not to.

There was a tense silence which filled the office, even muting the cogs somehow. This silence was only broken moments later when they heard a chime, indicating the arrival of Ironwood's students.

* * *

"Come in," called a powerful voice.

Upon hearing the instruction, Krev pressed the button on the lift wall and the doors to Ozpin's office parted. Without any hesitation, the members of teams KAVS and NOVA stepped through the threshold and made their way across the large space.

Krev could hear his friends behind him glancing around the office situated behind the clock face of Beacon's central tower in awe, but he kept his gaze upon Ironwood standing in front of a desk and the man sitting behind it – Professor Ozpin.

Like his friends, Krev had heard many things about the headmaster of Beacon Academy. He had heard that Ozpin was indeed a mysterious, great man who inspired and was admired by his students and professors, but Krev only saw him as he saw the General – a cog in the war machine. To Krev, Ozpin was cold, calculating, and a vile man willing to continue indoctrinating children and training them to become violent, brainwashed weapons. To Krev, Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood only served to perpetuate Remnant's heartless, fractured society.

Krev gave a slight smirk to himself, amused that even after spending a few years in training his views hadn't changed – he hated how the global society was being run, who was running it and the way children like him were being trained to be nothing more than killing machines with a black and white view of the world, but he knew that if he didn't follow it for now and didn't become a Huntsman, he would never be able to change the world.

"May all of you line up seven feet from the desk," said Ironwood. "I want Team NOVA to the left and Team KAVS to the right, in order please."

They followed his orders, with Sapphire, Orion, Violet and Ash lining up to the left and Krev, Amber, Valery and Silver lining up to the right, creating an eight person row for Ozpin to see.

"KAVS and NOVA?" said Ozpin. "I thought you never liked the idea of using anagrams?"

"I saw the benefits of using them years ago, professor," Ironwood said over his shoulder before looking directly at Krev. "So how was the journey?"

"Swift," Krev replied with thinly vailed contempt.

"Well isn't that good to hear," Professor Ozpin said dryly. "What now?"

Ozpin obviously didn't have much time for Ironwood after being stabbed in the back by him the previous day, which was good to see from Krev's point of view, but he still hated them both equally.

"_Now_ I shall introduce my two most trained, skilled and naturally talented teams who attend my school," said Ironwood, laying it on a bit thick. "To the left is Team NOVA, which is comprised of Sapphire Niebieski, Orion Correia, Violet Taevas and Ashley Claymore."

As the General spoke, each member of NOVA greeted Ozpin in their own way: Sapphire had given a nervous smile, Orion a courteous nod, Violet a two finger wave, basically gesturing the most informal greeting of 'what's up' while her arms were crossed, and last, but not least, Ash had given a polite bow as he rotated his artificial wrist. It was all quite amusing for Krev to watch out of the corner of his eye, but now it was his and his team's turn.

"It's nice to meet you," said Ozpin. "And to the right?"

"Team KAVS," Ironwood replied happily, "which is comprised of Krev Melek, Amber Stone, Valery Svetlo and Silver Moon."

Krev didn't watch the awkward silent greetings his team gave, for his eyes were locked on Ozpin's as the professor leaned forward, clasped his hands together and directly gazed at him. Krev didn't exactly know why Ozpin was staring at him, but the look in the professor's eyes was that of great interest and knowing, like he could read Krev's soul. But the headmaster of Beacon Academy also looked pleased, as if happy to have found…

What, exactly? A kindred spirit who also disliked Ironwood? Krev couldn't tell for certain before Ozpin's gaze moved to Amber.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Stone," said Ozpin, inclining his head in greeting.

It was difficult for Krev not to break his gaze and look at his teammate in order to watch her _and_ Ozpin's reactions at the same time, so it must have been even harder for his friends not to so as well.

"Likewise, professor," Amber said nervously.

It must have felt strange for Amber to be in Ozpin's presence again, for she was once a Beacon student before her defection…

Amber was born and raised in Vale, attending Signal Academy when she was younger and, whilst there, designed and built _Burning Star_. After graduation she began her higher education at Beacon Academy, passing the rudimentary tasks in Emerald Forest and Forever Fall with ease. But after she and her team (her first team that is) completed their first mission and word of Amber's skills got out due to the nature of the operation, a representative from Atlas contacted Amber and offered her an opportunity to join Ironwood's academy at the beginning of the third semester. The representative offered her 'better training' and a chance to access the resources of the world's greatest military to become a better Huntress.

According to Amber she was happy at the academy, but she wanted to make _Burning Star_ into one of the most powerful weapons in the world and felt like Beacon's resources couldn't fulfil her ambitions, so after much deliberation and a heated discussion between Amber, Professor Ozpin and the representative, she decided to join Ironwood's school with Ozpin's blessing.

"I trust General Ironwood and his school are meeting all of your needs," said Ozpin.

"Yes, professor," Amber replied. "I've actually been able to upgrade _Burning Star_ experientially with the resources available to me."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ozpin said with a polite smile.

An intense awkwardness suddenly filled the large space as everyone remained silent.

* * *

It was good to see Amber again after almost a year and a half, to see how far she had come from the way she stood, the clothes she wore and the mechanical crossbows attached to her arms, but Professor Ozpin didn't like having the General's students paraded in front of him like prized cattle.

"Well," said General Ironwood. "Now that all my students have been introduced, we can finally get down to business."

"And what business is that?" Ozpin asked with a not-so-subtle undertone of frustration.

"Why they are here, Oz. Teams KAVS and NOVA have arrived ahead of my forces to help with exterminating the last of the Grimm in Vale and with security as you already know, but they are also here to reassure the young students of Beacon Academy – the most vulnerable students – they are protected."

Ozpin didn't appreciate the second burst of condescension, arrogance and propaganda, but he, like before, wasn't going to start a fight over it, especially when students were close-by, even if they _were_ being referred to by the General as if they weren't even there.

"And how will they accomplish this?" Ozpin asked as politely as he could manage.

"By sparring," the General answered.

Ozpin looked past his 'old friend' to gauge the students' reaction. From what he saw, most of the eight pupils looked surprised, yet prepared, like they knew what to do in such a situation, however; Krev reacted by giving a furious glare to the back of Ironwood's head.

He found himself intrigued by the team leaders, for Krev and Sapphire both gave off an air of uniqueness and similarity at the same time, as if they shared a special bound even though they gave no similar reaction to the news. Professor Ozpin couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew there was something strange about the team leaders, especially Krev Melek – not because he obviously disliked the General, but because of his reputation, which was only matched by this appearance.

Krev, like his fellow students, was an eighteen-year-old human with black, spikey hair and blood-red eyes. He, again, like the others, was wearing his combat outfit, which was an open, dark red leather jacket with a small, neck framing semi-circle collar. He had three open belt straps running down the two open sides of his jacket and three closed belt straps on each forearm which were a part of the jacket's design, therefore, they did not wrinkle the material and looked natural. Krev also wore a dark grey shirt underneath his jacket which had a red gothic symbol – his symbol – covering the torso. He also wore a pair of black jeans, a black belt with a silver-coloured metal buckle and a pair of black shoes. Ozpin also noted that all nine of the metallic buckles on Krev's jacket (the three running down the front and the three on both forearms) were also coloured silver.

Krev's combat attire was dwarfed by Sapphire's, but somehow the former appeared to be the stronger of the two.

Like the team leader of KAVS and the other students, Sapphire was an eighteen-year-old human with long black hair and blue eyes. Unlike the casual look his colleagues had opted for, he wore sapphire-blue armour over his entire torso, arms, hands, legs and feet. The armour was streamlined and flat plated apart from the dark blue trimmed disks on the shoulders, elbows and knees, and the dark blue trimmed sentries running down the front and back of the torso. The only other decoration was the dark blue parallel lines running around the collar, down the centre of the torso (between the sentries), the sides of the torso, the spine, the shoulders, the inside and the outside of the arms, around the wrists, down the front and the back of the legs, over the top of the feet, behind the feet, and down the fingers and the thumbs. Ozpin also noted that when the lines touch, there was no line in between, giving the entire design a connected appearance.

"So I take it you want my permission to use the amphitheatre as an arena?" said Ozpin, turning his attention back to the General.

"Not needed," said Ironwood. "I already told all of the first year students to make their way there before I got here. In fact, they should all be there right now and awaiting my arrival."

Ozpin stayed calm and didn't react, but he wanted nothing more than to yell at Ironwood and order him to _never_ go behind his back and undermine his position as the headmaster again! But, sadly, Ozpin knew it would do him no good as long as the General was the acting director of security for the Vytal Festival, so he decided to handle this diplomatically.

"General, I understand you wish to … 'reassure' the first year students of their safety in light of recent events, but do you honestly believe a display of power will help matters?"

"Yes," Ironwood said angrily, "that is _exactly_ what I believe. Come, you won't want to miss a sparring match which involves these particular students."

Ozpin must have forgotten for a moment he was talking to someone who was unreasonable, because he should have remembered that _of course_ General Ironwood believed a display of power was the answer to almost every situation.

As he arose from his chair and watched as the General led his students from his office, Professor Ozpin caught the look of pure rage on Krev's face as he turned his head and glanced directly at him over his shoulder. This look from Krev worried Ozpin, but at the same time he was intrigued to see if the rumours about the so called 'Blood Angel' were about to be proven true before his very eyes. He was also interested to find out if there really was a connection between Krev Melek, Sapphire Niebieski and, if the rumours _were_ true, perhaps Ruby Rose.


	5. Ch4: The Demonstration, Part 1

**A/N: Hello, I'm back with chapter four of Defying Fate and I hope you enjoy the latest instalment, but before you start reading I'd like to quickly thank everyone who has read, reviewed and added this story and/or me to their favourites and/or follow lists so far. I appreciate the readership :)**

**Okay, you may now commence...**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Demonstration, Part 1**

"So what do you think's gonna happen sis?" Ruby asked enthusiastically.

"Some kind of sparring match I suppose," shrugged Yang.

"Cool," squealed the young leader.

Ruby was a massive fan of watching the awesome fighters who attended Beacon spar using some of the most breath-taking weapons she had ever seen in her entire life. She could barely contain how excited she was! She felt like she was going to explode from the excitement!

"You really should calm down before you have a heart attack," said Weiss, a hint of concern in her voice.

Ruby kept her gaze focused on the empty sparring area below, wildly shifting in her seat like the day she watched Pyrrha take on Mercury. For a moment she wondered if Mercury and Emerald were in the stands packed with first year students, but then her mind suddenly registered what Weiss had said.

"Ms. Schnee, are you actually worried that I'll get hurt?" Ruby said playfully as she turned to face her partner.

The stands were pretty full, but somehow they had all found a way to sit on the same row. Team RWBY and JNPR were all sitting together because Weiss to Ruby's left and Yang was to her right, who, in turn, had Blake to her right. This kept going in a sequence because to Blake's right were Pyrrha, then Jaune, then Ren, and last but not least, Nora.

Every member of the two teams were wearing their combat outfits, which meant Team JNPR had done the exact same thing as RWBY immediately after the Breach – collapse and sleep without getting changed.

"No, no," said Weiss, raising her hands. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you because I'm sitting right here. People might think I finally snapped and slipped you something."

"Aww, Weiss, you really do care about me," Ruby joked as she leaned forward, her arms outstretched for a hug.

"Ugh, don't touch me," Weiss exclaimed as she pushed her leader back.

Ruby laughed to herself as Weiss frowned, but the so called 'Ice Queen' did crack a smile.

"Why do you think we are here?" Upon hearing Pyrrha's gentle voice, everyone turned to look at her. "I mean, we are not scheduled to be in here until Friday."

"It is curious," Blake said elegantly, not showing any true emotion in her response.

It was good to see Blake back to normal after everything, but Ruby didn't like seeing the whole situation making everyone uneasy. She didn't know why everyone was acting strange; Ironwood had most likely called everyone there to talk about the Breach and reassure everyone as well.

"The General most likely called everyone here to discuss the Breach and reassure us about our safety," said Ren.

Ruby was _so_ happy to have her unique brand of logic confirmed by arguably the most level-headed person in school, so she energetically yelled out "Precisely" for all of them to hear.

"Did you hit your head or something when you got up this morning?" asked Weiss.

"Well, no, I'm just happy that I thought the same thing as Ren before he _even_ said it!"

Ren seemed to tense up for a moment after hearing that for some reason.

"Oh no, Ren," Yang said taunted playfully, "you're starting to think like my baby sister."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?!" Ruby shouted at her.

"Well you're not exactly the most sensible person in the world, so if someone is thinking like you and it isn't you, then that person is pretty-"

"What?!"

"She's saying the only person who would possibly be able to survive using your logic is you, dunce," said Weiss. "She's saying you're unique. I would take it as a complement."

"Oh, okay, thanks Yang."

"No prob," replied her older sister. "Now back to business…"

'_Back to business?' Is Yang feeling okay?_

"…Why has General Ironwood called us here?"

"But Ren already told us!" Nora shouted ecstatically.

"I only gave a theory, Nora," he told her.

"And it was a good theory," said Jaune, "but there's something I don't like about the situation."

"Same here," said Pyrrah.

"Why?" Ruby asked her group of friends.

"Because the only person authorised to send a message to all first year students – or any other year students for that matter – at the same time is Professor Ozpin," explained Blake. "So the real question isn't _why_ he summoned us, but _how_."

"Well we're about to find out," said Yang in an uncharacteristic serious tone.

Ruby would have asked what was bothering her sister, but she was too enthused to see what was going to happen, so she instead turned her full attention towards the entrance to the sparring area to see nine figures emerging from the blackened tunnel.

What Ruby saw made her jaw drop.

General Ironwood stepped out of the darkness and into the illuminated centre of amphitheatre, closely followed by eight students. Leading the group of students was two powerful looking boys, but what Ruby mainly focused on was the crimson jacket worn by one of the students and the massive sword on the other's back. These two students were followed by six more: three girls and three guys. These students looked powerful as well, but what Ruby absorbed were flashes of their combat gear and weaponry as her eyes darted between.

She caught glimpses of a katana on one guy's back, the purple theme of one girl's outfit and the mace hanging from another student's arm. There was also a familiarity to the girl in the orange coat which caught Ruby's attention, but only briefly because her focus was suddenly drawn back towards the General.

"Settle down," he called, silencing the last of the conversations taking place between Beacon students.

Ruby ignored the General for a moment to see what the eight students were doing, and she was astounded to see they had formed two, four person rows on either side of General Ironwood.

_Are they teams? But who are they? Are they the General's students?_

"For those of you who may not already know," the General began, projecting his strong voice for all to hear, "I have been assigned as the new head of security for the Vytal Festival after yesterday's Breach. Therefore, I have-"

The General was cut off by students whispering to each other.

"Now that's strange," said Weiss, sounding genuinely confused.

"Ur … did I miss something?" Ruby asked.

"It's strange because Ozpin was in charge of security for the festival," the heiress explained.

"Wonder why it's been changed?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Yang, her tone distant but focused.

Ruby turned to her sister with a confused expression on her face; she had seen her solemn in the past, but not recently.

_What's on your mind, Yang?_

"Trust issues, Ruby," Yang continued. "Whoever's in control of the festival mustn't trust Ozpin anymore to keep it safe after yesterday."

"That would be the council," Weiss interjected, demonstrating her political knowledge.

Ruby would have been paying better attention to her teammates if it wasn't for Yang's current state.

"Are you okay, Yang?" she decided to ask.

"I'm fine," her sister replied.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like you've been taking 'How To Be Moody' lessons from Blake."

Hearing this, Blake leaned forward and glared at her leader.

"Sorry, Blake," smiled Ruby, forgetting once again that Blake didn't just have cat ears, she also had extremely sensitive hearing like of a cat as well.

"Calm yourselves," the General commanded. The stands to fell silent a moment later, allowing him to continue. "As I was saying: I have called you all here today to reassure your safety through a demonstration, the kind of demonstration that will offer you a glimpse into the protection Atlas will be giving the kingdom of Vale and Beacon during the Vytal Festival. So, without further ado, I present eight of my top second year students."

General Ironwood swept his hand through the air to present his students – a motion which caused several audience members to clap and cheer for the eight strangers. When the welcome ended, Ironwood began to speak like a politician delivering an inspirational speech.

"These eight students have journeyed here to help defend this school, the festival and with the elimination of any Grimm remaining in the city."

"We left some behind," breathed Ruby, her entire demeanour shifting to sadness.

She felt absolutely devastated about leaving monsters alive in a city full of citizens unable to fight such a threat … it made her feel guilty.

"Not all Grimm are mindless," Weiss said, repeating what Ruby had told the entire team after learning it from Dr. Oobleck. "A lot probably saw they were losing and decided to run."

"Or they wanted to escape the fight to cause death and destruction further into the city," added Blake.

"I suppose it makes sense," Ruby muttered in a solemn tone.

"Either way," interjected Yang, "Grimm, mindless or not, all have one goal … and that's to kill."

Ruby, Weiss and Blake all glanced at Yang and exchanged worried looks, but the blonde kept her eyes on the General. The young leader of Team RWBY didn't know if her sister wasn't noticing the concern written across the faces of her teammates or was choosing to ignore it, but either way, they would need to talk about what was bothering her later.

"But like I said, my students will first demonstrate your protection through sparring each other," the General said with a gleefully. "I'll now hand over the floor to Professor Goodwitch."

Ironwood stepped aside, allowing Goodwitch to take his place with her Scroll in hand.

Ruby hadn't noticed her come in, but she did notice the frustration in Professor Goodwitch's eyes as she began to speak – although she always looked like that.

"Today you will be watching two teams as they participate in one-on-one sparring matches. To my left his Team NOVA, so to my right is Team KAVS. Now, will the first pairing please take their places as the others move to the designated safe zone."

Ruby watched as Glynda stepped out of the sparring area, closely followed by six of the students after they all shook hands and wished each other luck, however; the guy in the crimson jacket kept his arms folded the whole time and wished not one person, not even his fellow leader good luck. Every student Ruby had ever watched spar displayed at least some combat etiquette, so it was strange to see someone not playing nice, but he _did_ wait for and stepped into the entrance of the amphitheatre with his teammates.

The mysterious leader was acting worse than Blake on a bad day, but Ruby's attention didn't stay on him for too long. Why? Well that's because of the two cool looking boys who stayed behind to fight of course!

"This is going to be _so_ cool," Ruby squealed to herself.

On the left side of the amphitheatre was the student dressed in nothing but silver clothing and armour plating – even his hair was all silver! On the right side was the boy dressed in nothing but black, like Blake, but unlike any other student or Huntsmen or Huntress Ruby had ever seen, the student had tons of scars all over one arm and a … and a …

"Hey, what is that?" Ruby asked aloud.

"It looks like a robot arm," said Weiss, sounding just as confused as Ruby felt. "That can't be right. I've never heard of any student with a robot arm before."

"I have," said Blake, gaining everyone's attention. "That student down there is Ashley Claymore, but I've mostly heard him being referred to simply as 'Ash'."

"What about the arm, Blake?" pressed Ruby, desperately wanting to find out more.

"Well, I know that arm is cybernetic and connected to his central nervous system, so Ash can give a mental command to transform the forearm into a cannon. I've heard he uses it to incinerate enemies. Huh, one of the reasons for his shortened name I guess."

"If it's his weapon, what's it called?"

"_Wolf's Bane_."

"Awesome," Ruby exhaled, loving the name.

"Wow, Blake," exclaimed Jaune. "How did you know all that?"

Blake looked nervous for a moment, giving Yang a shy glance before speaking.

"I knew a few people a number of years ago who liked the idea of having Ash on their team, but they gave up on the idea after they discovered he … didn't match their criteria." Blake's explanation was delivered nervously and lacked detail, so Ruby and the rest of her team held their breath as they awaited a response.

"Cool," nodded Jaune.

Team JNPR seemed to take the explanation without asking who the people were, even though they were obviously the White Fang. It was a dodged bullet in Ruby's mind because only she, Weiss and Yang currently knew about Blake's time with the group.

Sighing quietly in relief, Ruby wondered why the White Fang might have thought Ashley was a Faunus for a while before discovering otherwise, but that was a question for later. Although she suspected it was to do with his weapon being named _Wolf's Bane_, so maybe they thought he was a wolf Faunus for a while or something …

"Do you know anything about the other guy?" Yang asked her partner.

"Now this one I know," said Weiss, grabbing the whole group's attention.

"Go ahead Weiss," Ruby said gently.

"I don't know much, but I know his name is Silver Moon, his sword is called _Moonlight_, his gauntlet for some reason is called _Eclipse_, and his Semblance is supposed to be really powerful."

"That's impressive knowledge, Weiss."

"Don't patronise me. I know what I know because I've … _observed_ certain students."

"'Observed' huh?" chuckled Yang.

"I don't even want to think about what you're inferring, but yes, I have studied certain students from other schools in case they came to Vale to fight in the tournament."

Ruby and the others remembered the day they met Sun and how Weiss had been eager to see him in action to gauge the competition, so it made sense she'd continued doing it anyway with other students even after those plans were brought to an abrupt end when Weiss bumped into Penny. Ruby suddenly felt concerned about Penny, having not seen her in the past few days since the dance.

_Wait a second! Was the dance really four days ago, because it felt like two seconds ago?!_

Ruby was used to moving fast on the battlefield, but it sometimes scarred her how fast their time at Beacon was passing by.

The two holographic flags which oversaw the amphitheatre came to life and displayed the profile pictures and the names of the students below. It was only when Ash's image came up that Ruby and the others saw the massive, grotesque scar beneath his left eye.

"Wonder how he got that?" Yang whispered for everyone to hear in order to gain an answer.

"I know," Ruby said in a disgusted tone. "It looks so gross and-"

Ruby instantly felt nervous and horrified as she registered her own words, remembering exactly who was sitting next to her: Weiss. Ruby had forgotten about Weiss' scar a long time ago because she saw her on a daily basis and lived with her, but it wasn't like Ashley's thick, red scar anyway. Weiss' scar was subtle, faint and complemented her features perfectly.

"Weiss I-" muttered Ruby as she turned to look at her partner.

"Quiet dolt, the match is about to start," snapped Weiss.

Ruby hadn't heard Weiss angrily call her a 'dolt' in a long time, but Ruby couldn't tell if she'd heard her or not. The caped girl didn't want to hurt Weiss' feelings by bringing it to her attention, so she turned her attention towards the fight that was about to commence in a desperate attempt to forget what she said.

'_It looks so gross'… I hate how _stupid_ I am! _

Silver Moon reached behind his back and grabbed _Moonlight_'s hilt. Ruby watched in awe as Silver drew the long, elegantly crafted katana from its sheath and held it in such a way on his right side that the tip glinted in her direction. On the other side of the amphitheatre stood Ashley Claymore, but he wasn't drawing any weapons or transforming his arm. Instead he took up an offensive stance with his robotic left arm extended in front of him, pointing the three talons towards Silver.

"Commence," announced Professor Goodwitch's voice over an intercom hidden from view, but the fight didn't start immediately.

For a spilt second Ruby thought the match was going to be boring as the two second year students just stood there, daring the other to make the first move. But then Silver did something interesting, something none of them had ever seen before…

Silver Moon flipped his katana around in his right hand so the tip of the blade was facing down and took the hilt in both hands. He then, like an honourable warrior, smiled at his opponent and gave a slow bow, inclining his head as he did so.

"What is he-?" was all Ruby managed to say before the fight suddenly began.

Without warning, Silver bellowed and flipped the sword around in his hand again as he sprinted towards Ash. The samurai was in front of Ash in the fraction of a second, which was fast, but he wasn't as fast as her.

Silver was quick, but speed wasn't his Semblance.

Silver swung the beautiful katana in all directions, trying to land a hit on Ashley, however the cyborg was effortlessly using his synthetic arm and talons to parry, block and attack as well.

They were both excellent fighters and defended themselves effortlessly. Silver was obviously an expert at fighting with a katana using only his right hand, whilst Ash on the other hand had developed a unique fighting style where he concentrated more on landing strikes and blocking attacks using his almost indestructible arm in its standby mode.

The sound of colliding metal and the display of evenly matched skill only lasted a few more seconds, for Silver acquired the upper hand. The samurai deflected an incoming swipe from Ashley's claw and quickly rotated on the spot, building momentum in order to strike the side of Ash's synthetic hand and push it to one side. When Ashley's arm was out of the way for a split second, Silver took the opportunity to exploit his opponent's lack of defences and kicked him in the stomach, causing Ashley to stagger back.

Seeing his chance to end the battle early, Silver raised _Moonlight_ above his head as if he were stabbing the sky and activated his Semblance. Ruby's eyes widened as a light which matched her eyes travelled up the blade and caused the weapon to shine, but she and the others couldn't enjoy the wonderful sight for long before Silver slashed the air in front of him, releasing a bright silver arc as tall as him.

The silver arc travelled through the air and struck a startled Ashley, forcing the cyborg off his feet and onto the ground as he rolled across it.

Ashley rolled for less than a second yet managed to strike the floor a dozen times before he slammed his robotic fist into the ground and skidded to a halt with his feet firmly underneath him. Annoyed, Ash pulled his claw from the shattered ground, held it behind him and gave the subconscious order, causing his forearm and hand to transform into a humming cannon.

Ash smirked at his opponent before giving another subconscious command, but this time a powerful, amber-coloured energy beam fired from the cannon and struck the wall behind him, pushing him forward at an incredible speed.

When the distance between Silver and Ashley was almost covered, but before he was upon his opponent, Ash ceased firing the beam, transformed his arm back to its standby mode and span around in the air, pulling every piece of momentum with him as he threw a punch.

Knowing exactly what Ashley had planned, Silver rooted his feet and threw his own punch.

Then, in the blink of an eye, their fists collided; Ashley's unleashing tons of built-up force as Silver's blocked it. Seeing this, Ash grinned at his opponent to show his frustration and his applause, thinking it was quite clever of Silver to use his almost indestructible gauntlet to take the impact for him.

Silver smiled at his opponent victoriously, then brought _Moonlight_ up to quickly land another hit on Ashley's arm, but Ash saw this and reacted, pulling his arm away and attacking as well. The two second year students entered another flurry of swipes and parries before the tide of the battle turned again, but this time it fell in Ashley's favour.

Silver attempted another downwards strike, but Ash sidestepped the attack and _Moonlight_'s tip was driven into the ground, incapacity Silver for a brief moment and allowing his opponent to land a series of devastating blows.

Ashley took the opportunity to spin on the spot and bring the back of his synthetic fist down on the back of Silver's head like a hammer, which drove Silver's face into the ground, but Ash was far from done. The cyborg followed this attack with a kick to the face, lifting Silver off the ground, but it was like the world was travelling in slow motion as Silver flew back, because Ash was able to grab one of Silver's ankles with his organic hand while he was in mid-flight, pull him back and land a perfect, metallic punch on Silver's face – the force of the hit causing Silver to ricochet off the ground and land several feet away from Ash, who swiftly turned around, transformed his arm and unleashed a massive energy beam towards his opponent. Such an attack might have killed Silver, but the samurai was already on his knees and had been able to keep hold of _Moonlight_ during his beating, so he held the sword in such a way that the beam was instantly cut in half on impact and shot past either side of him.

Obviously infuriated, Silver quickly got to his feet, raised _Moonlight_ approve his head and fired another arc of brilliant silver light towards Ashley. It was an impressive attack, but Ash dodged the arc and it missed him by a hair's breath. It looked as if Silver had failed for a moment, but that was the point. As Ashley travelled through the air, Silver quickly span on the spot and fired another arc from his blade, but this one travelled horizontally and struck Ash in the stomach, sending the cyborg hurtling through the air until he collided with one of the amphitheatre's curved walls.

The previous attack seemed to be the finishing blow, but Silver didn't relent; the moment Ashley's back smashed against the wall, Silver began to rapidly spin _Moonlight_ in his hand, firing wave after wave of horizontal, vertical and diagonal arcs which instantly travelled through the air and pummelled Ashley, driving him further and further into the stone wall. Then, seeing his opponent hanging from the wall from his back, Silver raised _Moonlight_ skyward one last time and its blade became engulfed in the silver light, but the samurai didn't fire it immediately. Instead, Silver kept it there for a few more seconds until the light was even brighter and swiped the air, firing the last and most powerful arc towards Ash.

Ruby had never seen or heard of Silver's Semblance before, but she knew the final arc had been his strongest because of how brightly it shined as it approached and vertically struck Ashley, smashing into his face, chest, midriff and crotch (ooh, now that had to hurt) simultaneously.

The force of the impact destroyed a small layer of the wall around Ash, causing the cyborg to collapse onto all fours.

Silver glared at his opponent with his weapon raised just in case Ash attacked, but the cyborg was barely able to stay conscious, therefore, Silver, without needing to look over his shoulder to gauge Ashley's Aura reserves, put the katana back into its sheath and walked towards him as Professor Goodwitch called the match.

"Mr. Moon … wins," she announced over the intercom, but her voice sounded hesitant.

Stunned into temporary silence by the amazing fight she had just witnessed, Ruby watched as Silver helped Ashley onto his feet, placed an arm under him for support and escorted him out of the sparring area to cheers and applause from excited Beacon students.

Unbeknown to Ruby, her teammates, Team JNPR or anyone else for that manner, Silver apologised to his friend as they left.

"Sorry about that," said Silver. "I didn't mean to hurt you that much."

"It's okay," Ashley choked out. "What else are friends for huh?"

* * *

**A/N: Hello again! I really enjoyed writing the fight in this chapter and the ones to appear within chapter five, and if you thought what Silver did to Ash was brutal, it gets worse … a lot worse. But that's all I'm going to say about that for now and I'll leave you with this …**

**Feel free to review and PM me. I appreciate any and all feedback – except negative feedback :)**

**Until next time,**

**ChildOfFate16**


	6. Ch5: The Demonstration, Part 2

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry for not updating this story for quite some time, but I've been extremely busy for the last couple of months. Anyway, I hope the simultaneous upload of three chapters helps make up for lost time. **

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Demonstration, Part 2**

"That was totally awesome," Ruby said with an ecstatic squeal.

Silver and Ashley's match might have been quick, but it left the young leader feeling energised and ready for more.

"Yeah," said Weiss, her voice filled with confusion. "It was definitely an impressive fight; I just don't understand why Silver didn't use _Eclipse_. There were plenty of opportunities during their match to end it earlier if he used his secondary weapon."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Only rumours, but it's supposed to be big and dangerous."

Ruby might have been young, but even she could see the potential pun from 'big and dangerous', so she was surprised to see Yang not making a joke.

"I don't think Ashley would have appreciated their match ending earlier if it meant being pummelled into an even worst pulp," Yang said in a serious tone.

"Will the next pair please make their way to their starting positions," ordered Professor Goodwitch over the intercom.

"Ooh," Ruby breathed as she turned her attention back to the amphitheatre's sparring area.

The eight students who comprised teams RWBY and JNPR watched as two more of Ironwood's students made their entrance. Ruby's eyes were immediately drawn to the tall girl, who was wearing a stylish white trench coat and wielding a mace which didn't look like Cardin Winchester's – this one actually looked like a traditional mace.

"Who's that?" Ruby asked.

"I know," Pyrrha said timidly, slowly raising a hand to chest level.

"As do I," said Weiss, "but I do not wish to be berated by Ruby again for knowing facts, so you can take this one."

"Thank you, Weiss," Pyrrha said with a gentle smile before beginning. "_That_ is Valery Svetlo. I know of her because she attended Sanctum, a year ahead of me of course, but that's not the main reason why I know of her."

"Wow she's tall," exclaimed Yang. "How tall would you say she is? As tall as Yatsuhashi? Oh, sorry."

"That's okay, Yang, but as I was saying: I know about Valery because after graduating at the top of her class she decided to attend Ironwood's school in Atlas instead of Haven."

"Is that important?" asked Jaune. "I mean, you're from Mistral and you decided to come here."

"I know, but it is the reason _why_ she made that choice," explained Pyrrha, everyone now focusing on her. "She didn't base her decision on the scores she received or the quality of training available to her; she made her choice simply based on the fact General Ironwood runs the school."

"Why? Does she have, you know, like a crush or something on the General?"

Ruby took a page out of Weiss' book and pinched the bridge of her nose, smiling to herself as the irony of Jaune asking Pyrrha such a question strangely amused her.

"No," Pyrrha replied shyly. "She just admires him."

"What about her weapon?" enquired Blake, saving Pyrrha in her own way.

"She calls it _Thunderclap_ and, from what I can remember, those stubby blue spikes are dust crystals. They allow Valery to discharge her electrical bolts in many different ways. She can also-"

"Wait! What?!" interrupted Nora. "Electricity is her Semblance?! That's so cool!"

"I agree," Pyrrha replied coolly before continuing with her original train of thought. "_And_ she can use her Semblance to charge those spikes and cause significant damage to an opponent _if_ she lands a successful hit."

"Sounds painful," added Jaune.

They turned their collective attention back to see the second student taking up the stance of a boxer. This student was wearing nothing but violet and wore a pair of huge, violet-coloured gantlets to match her clothing.

"Does anyone know _anything_ about her?" Ren asked the group.

"Nope," was the general consensus, Ruby and Yang both emphasising the 'P'.

But then the two holographic flags lit up and revealed her name.

"Her name is Violet Taevas," said Blake. "Does that help anyone?"

"No," was the general consensus again.

Forgetting their quest for answers they decided to sit back and watch, except Ruby, who decided to lean forward.

On the far left of the sparring area stood Valery Svetlo while Violet was on the far right. The trench coat wearing student held her mace, _Thunderclap_, in her left hand, her grip tight on the handle as she gave Violet a smug grin.

"Commence," said Glynda's voice.

* * *

Valery rushed forward the moment the word was uttered over the intercom and was upon her opponent in a split second, her speed emulating Silver's.

Without any time to prepare, Violet held her arms across her torso in an 'X' formation in a feeble attempt to lessen the pain of Valery's strike. It was a good try, but the mace wielder was prepared for Violet's block, so she swung her mace in an uppercut motion.

The force of the impact broke the purple-themed boxer's defence and simultaneously lifted her feet off the ground, leaving her completely vulnerable.

Taking the opportunity to weaken her opponent's Aura shielding (or 'Guardian', as the Wanderers once called it), Valery swung her mace from right to left. It already looked like it was going to be a devastating hit, but then Valery activated her Semblance and arcs of electricity coursed through _Thunderclap_. The weapon illuminated, making the simplistically designed mace appear godlike in the fraction of a second before it struck Violet's chest and the energy transferred into her.

Everyone winced when the mace struck Violet, for the impact caused her to spiral through the air, however; the purple fighter was far from done. Somehow Violet was able to spin in mid-air and punch the ground, driving a gauntlet into the floor like Ashley had done during the previous fight to grind to a halt with her feet firmly beneath her.

Angered by Valery's sudden attack, Violet gave an enraged snarl as she gave a mental command. Everyone watched in awe as the two gauntlets transformed into two halves of a single barrelled cannon, taking everybody aback.

The only way for that to have been possible was if the gauntlets were like Ashley's synthetic limb, which nobody expected.

Unaware of the shock which filled the amphitheatre, Violet placed one half of _Unyielding Strength_ on top of the other, causing the two halves to interlock. Now having a fully functioning cannon in less than two seconds, Violet gave another mental command and began to open fire.

_Unyielding Strength_ could cause a lot of damage because the bullets (which looked more like shotgun shells) the weapon fired were the same size as her head, which also meant there was a lot of recoil, so she needed to maintain a firm stance in order to prevent herself from flying back every time she fired a shell towards Valery. She also needed to pull back the remainder of her right arm (the arm attached to the top half of the cannon) in order to release the expended casing and reload another round into the barrel of the weapon before giving another subconscious order to fire again.

Whenever Violet had to explain how _Unyielding Strength_ worked to people, they always seemed to think it was almost impossible to wield and physically gruelling, and it was, but she had mastered the weapon long ago. Besides, it was worth it. _Unyielding Strength_ was a part of her and a devastating armament, or at least it _was_ devastating when a shell actually struck an opponent…

Having sparred against and observed her opponent in the past, Valery twirled her mace, predicting the approach of every shell before bating them away like worthless flies.

Valery eventually lost count, but there was a moment when she had counted thirty of Violet's bullets being knocked away and driving themselves with the last of their momentum into the stone flooring and wall behind her, leaving foot wide holes on impact.

Violet fired a few more rounds until Val finally had enough. Wanting to end their fight as soon as possible by striking the next shell her opponent fired, the mace wielder batted the bullet currently travelling through the air to one side before charging _Thunderclap_ with her Semblance.

Unaware of Valery's plan, Violet fired again. The shell covered the distance between the second year students and was on course to strike the mace wielder in the chest, but then the round suddenly flew back towards its owner as a flattened disk.

Seeing the deformed bullet travelling back towards her at the last moment, Violet leaned to one side and watched it speed past her. As this occurred, Violet gazed into the startled eyes reflected by the disk – _her_ eyes – as the adrenaline thundering through her veins slowed down her perception of time.

_How did Val just deflect one of my own rounds?!_

Violet then noticed how her reflected face was distorted by blunt marks on the disk's surface, which meant Valery had struck the bullet in such a way that it had flattened on impact against her mace's spikes and was sent hurtling back.

"Clever," was all Violet growled under her breath before having to redirect her focus back to her opponent.

Seeing that Violet was vulnerable, Valery charged forward, her mace skyward to deliver a final, bone shattering strike. Victory looked within her grasp, but as Valery brought her mace down, Violet sidestepped and transformed _Unyielding Strength_ back into its standby mode.

Violet's sudden action caused the mace wielder to miss and stagger forward, leaving _her_ vulnerable. Panicking, Val swung her mace upwards to try and strike Violet on the jaw, but her opponent took a carefully calculated step back.

_Thunderclap _missed.

Valery was now in a state of fear as she began to swing her mace in every possible direction in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand once again, but that was looking more and more unlikely with every passing block and parry.

She always found it quite unsettling to fight an opponent who looked like they were countering her strikes with their bare hands, but this wasn't the reason for her fear…

The mace wielder had fought Violet before and lost for one simple reason: Violet was an expert at hand-to-hand combat. When she had learned about the sparring matches, Val was scared for a moment, but then calmed herself by opting for a 'sudden attack' strategy. This seemed to work at the beginning of their match when Valery had actually taken Violet by surprise, but the purple boxer had somehow recomposed herself since then and was batting away Valery's assault. The mace wielder knew she was going to lose at any-

Then it happened.

Violet swatted _Thunderclap_ out of Valery's grasp and towards the ground, the force of the impact causing the weapon to impale the stone floor. Disarmed, Val believed this was going to be the end of the match, but then she saw an opening.

The purple-themed boxer threw an almighty punch towards Valery's face, but then something Violet never expected to happen occurred: Valery lowered her centre of gravity, avoiding the strike and throwing Violet off balance. The mace wielder then lunged forward, but missed.

Violet was confused about her opponent's intentions for a moment, realising a little too late what Valery had planned when she felt an arm wrap around her neck and another hand on her chest. Before she could react Valery wrenched, forcing Violet into a reverse headlock as the mace wielder activated her Semblance once more.

Valery listened to the sweet, satisfying sound of Violet screaming in pain as more and more electricity coursed through her body, eating away her Guardian and Aura reserve with every passing moment.

The mace wielder genuinely believed she was going to win for the second time during one match, but Violet somehow found enough strength to grip Val's forearms with her cybernetic hands – an action which caused Valery to panic, for Violet's hands possessed enough artificial strength to effortlessly peel metal off a car.

Not wanting to risk having her arms broken by her opponent, Valery chucked the cyborg to the wayside.

Violet rolled across the ground, but used her acrobatic skills to quickly get back to her feet to face her opponent again.

The purple-themed girl felt a bit woozy and her vision was slightly blurred from her rapid Aura decline, but she could still fight a little longer and see enough to gauge what Valery was doing. Squinting, Violet could see two pinpricks of blue light where Valery's hands should have been.

She was confused for a moment, but then realised just in time what her opponent was planning, therefore, as Valery pushed out and fired electricity from her fingertips and palms, Violet held up her open hands.

Streamlined arcs of electricity sizzled through the air and struck Violet's outstretched palms. It would have looked foolish of Violet to have simply 'caught' the electricity, but the metals used to originally forge _Unyielding_ _Strength_ were impervious to magnetism and prevented any form of electrical energy from travelling along Violet's body, like blocking the electricity with her bare hands, but this only worked when she actually intercepted the energy.

It had been her best option, and a perk of catching the Valery's attack was that it also looked amazing, for arcs of blue electricity danced all over her synthetic forearms and randomly bounced off _Unyielding_ _Strength_, striking the ground near Violet's feet and the curved walls of the amphitheatre.

Val tried to overwhelm her opponent by increasing the intensity of her assault, grunting deeply as she pulled back her arms before pushing out a heartbeat later. A sphere comprised of electrical arcs formed in Valery's hands and travelled down the continuous stream to strike Violet's palms, but all this accomplished was increasing the amount of arcs which sprang from the boxer's weapon/arms.

The mace wielder didn't need to glance at her Aura reserves; she felt weak and was demoralised having lost her original advantage.

_I had been _so close_ to victory! Actually, I could still win this if I dare to do something dangerous… _

Valery ceased her attack and her arms drooped, giving Violet the perfect opportunity to end the fight, however; she just glared at her opponent, trying to decide what to do next.

_She can barely stand. I should just spare Val from any more pain by simply walking away. I should forfeit the match and be better than her – better than Krev! In fact, I could even get back at him for all the times he's injured Sapphire by sparing Valery. _

"What's the matter Vi?!" Valery shouted in a mocking tone. "Are you afraid to get too close?!"

_Although, Valery can be a pain in the ass…_

With her mind made up, Violet sprinted forward with a bellow of rage.

"At a girl," whispered Valery with a self-satisfied smile, readying herself.

She only had one chance for her goading to pay off after all.

When Violet was upon her and about to throw an almighty punch, Valery kicked out and caught the fabric strap of her mace with her foot, but she didn't stop there. She continued the action, wrenching the spikes from the ground and launching the weapon skyward, but Valery caught the handle before it could escape her reach, charged _Thunderclap_ and swung in motion one.

It was certainly a flashy way to retrieve her weapon and she evidently startled Violet for a brief moment judging by the boxer's dilating pupils, but Vi had obviously been expecting some form of treachery.

As the mace was nearing her, Violet caught the weapon with one hand and tore it from Valery's grasp, causing the mace wielder to stagger forward as she flipped the stolen _Thunderclap_ in her grip, wrapped both of her hands around the handle and took a swing herself.

Everyone watched in amazement as Valery was brutally struck in the face with her own weapon, sending her head over heels by the force of the impact and subsequently smashing onto her back a few feet behind Violet.

The audience waited for Valery to move, but she remained prone, her Aura was in the red and soon they had the verdict…

"Ms. Taevas … wins the match," said Professor Goodwitch over the intercom, her voice once again sounding hesitant.

All of the first years cheered and applauded as Violet dragged her unconscious opponent out of the sparring area by her collar, _Thunderclap_ still within her grasp.

* * *

"She was incredible!" Ruby yelled as she energetically applauded the victor. "I've never seen someone knocking out their opponent with their own weapon before!"

"I do agree, she was impressive," said Weiss as she gave a round of elegant applause, "but there's something bothering me."

Ruby ceased her congratulations and turned to face her partner.

"What's that?" the cloaked girl asked sympathetically.

"Her weapon, how does it-?"

"Oh come on, Weiss!" interrupted Yang. "Just enjoy the show!"

"Quiet you!" the heiress retorted. "Can't you see I'm talking to your sister?"

"Oh, sorry … Ice Queen," Yang said with a playful smile.

"Stop calling me that!" shouted Weiss, standing from her seat to glare at Yang.

Ruby didn't like seeing her partner getting upset over anything these days, so she decided it was time to intervene.

"Weiss?" said Ruby, her tone stern, yet low and soothing at the same time.

The heiress looked down at her with a look of surprise, her balled fists unfurling as she asked, "Yes, Ruby?"

"What were you saying about Violet's weapon?"

Weiss sat back down, her gaze transfixed upon Ruby.

"I was just wondering how it works. I mean, she has to combine her arms in order to fire those rounds, but they're as big as her combined arms, so where is she keeping them? It's not like she's reloading every time before she fires."

"Are you asking me to figure it out?"

"Well you _do_ like to say you're a weapons enthusiast after all," Weiss said with a…

_Wait! Is that a _cheeky _smile? Is Weiss Schnee being playful? _

"That's because I am princess," Ruby said with an equally cheeky grin, hoping her partner really was in the mood to behave mischievously.

"Well go on enthusiast, now's your chance."

"I think Violet is using some sort of compressed round," mused the caped girl.

"And _I _think I'm going to need more than that."

"Oh, sorry Weiss," the young leader grinned from ear-to-ear, "I'm still trying to get it straight in my own head." Ruby pondered for a moment more before finally settling on an answer.

"Yes, that's it!" she exclaimed. "I think the rounds Violet uses start out no larger than the average Dust round and she carries them around in the pouch on her hip. When she loads them into her arms – obviously in their 'arm form' otherwise she wouldn't have any hands to load the rounds with if using her combat mode – they're still small, but just before she fires, her rounds must expand within the barrel of the weapon. Yes! That's the only explanation! I still don't understand how it works, but that's the only explanation! "

"Huh, impressive deduction."

"Thank you."

"Will the next pair please make their way to their starting positions," Professor Goodwitch said tentatively over the intercom.

"Ooh, more people!" squealed Ruby as she turned around to watch the next two second year students enter the sparring area.

The first to exit the designated 'safe zone' was a girl wearing a flamboyant orange trench coat which moved as if a light breeze was stroking the fabric, the garment gently wafting out and swaying behind the girl as she walked to the other end of the amphitheatre. The sight was almost mythical and impressed Ruby, but what caused the cloaked girl to energetically cry out were the mechanical crossbows attached to the older girl's forearms.

"That's Amber Stone!" Ruby shouted upon recognising the girl, her weapon giving away her identity before the illumination of the holographic flags.

"You know her?!" asked Yang.

Ruby was barely able to hear her sister over the sea of overexcited students, but she was able to figure out what had been said.

"Not personally, but I know about her weapon!" she yelled over the whooping. "You see those crossbows?!"

"Yeah?!"

"Those make up _Burning Star_, one of the most complex and technologically advanced weapons to be constructed by a Signal student!"

Ruby had learned about Amber Stone and her amazing weapon from Henrich, one of the gang back at Signal Academy. He was a weapon's enthusiast like her, so he jumped at the chance to inform Ruby a few days after they first met to tell her all about a weapon which belonged to a girl who once attended Signal.

She didn't know if it was to impress her or something, but Henrich, to the best of Ruby's understanding, was not interested in her in _that way_ – he was most likely trying to make a new friend by flaunting his knowledge.

The cloaked girl grimaced slightly as she thought about Signal, Henrich and the rest of her friends she had subsequently left behind the moment she accepted Ozpin's offer to attend Beacon early. Ruby made sure to swiftly return to thinking about Amber's weapon in a desperate attempt to spare herself from carrying around any more depressing thoughts.

_I already have too many of those…_

According to Henrich, the orange-themed girl could use the weapon in one of two ways; she could either hold the two halves like traditional crossbows and rapidly fire Dust rounds at an opponent, _or_ Amber could effortlessly transform a half with the mere flick of the wrist into a hilt which projected a blade. Ruby remembered at the time she didn't really see the difference….

"_But my scythe – your sword – pretty much every weapon I've ever seen transforms," she had said, confused and slightly frustrated as to why Henrich seemed so impressed by Amber's weapon._

"_I know, I know," he replied, raising his hands as if to defend himself from Ruby's statement, but he looked amused more than anything, not frightened by her sudden display of frustration. _

_Ruby had thought at the time how nice it was to speak with Henrich. He was kind, sweet, polite and possessed something she would later describe as a charming smile. _

_Henrich lowered his hands and continued to speak, throwing her another one of his signature grins. "It doesn't sound impressive, but it is." _

_He was taunting Ruby, wanting her to ask for more details._

"_Okay, so what makes it impressive?" Luckily for him she was in the mood to play along rather than simply groan from irritation – something would do with Weiss on a couple of occasions later on, like the time when they would search for Blake after learning she was a Faunus._

Ruby smirked to herself in the present as she thought about how much and how fast her relationship had grown with the heiress.

_I can only groan at someone like that when they're a good friend, _thought Ruby._ Although that won't last if I keep making _stupid_ comments!_

Knowing she was near the point of beating herself up once again over the 'gross' comment, Ruby refocused her mind…

"_Well, from what I hear Amber is quite the technological genius and she put that expertise of hers into making a new type of weapon," explained Henrich. "Apparently she made Burning Star so it doesn't project a _metallic_ blade when transformed, but rather one made of _light_ instead – she calls it a Photon Sword, or the weapon has a Photon Mode or something … I frankly can't remember that part."_

"_How is that even possible?" _

"_I'm afraid I don't know," he replied with a strangely elegant shrug. "Any ideas?"_

"_None."_

"_Well, if you somehow meet her before me, please find out and enlighten via Scroll, messenger Nevermore or a piece of paper in a bottle – take your pick." Ruby giggled at his remark, but Henrich then added rather seriously, "But I suspect Burning Star might have changed since she was here." _

"_Henrich..." she groaned._

"_Sorry," he smiled nervously. "I'm teasing you, aren't I?"_

"_Yes," she replied sternly. _

"_I'm not doing it on purpose, I promise."_

"_Then tell me what you mean by 'might have changed'."_

_He gave her another sheepish grin, then explained. "I also heard Amber left with the intent to construct the first ever energy weapon … the first one to be wielded by any Huntsmen or Huntress." _

"_Wow," was all she had said as her reply._

At the time Ruby had thought about how such an innovation would change hunting forever, but now she only had one thought on her mind…

_I'm gonna need to send Henrich a message._

She hadn't spoken with the orange-themed girl yet, but Ruby now knew what happened to Amber after she left Signal. It was another one of her and Henrich's curiosities about the so called 'technological genius', but after seeing the beam of energy Penny was capable of firing at an enemy target she suspected Amber had chosen to attend Ironwood's school immediately after leaving Signal to gain access to Atlas tech.

She had no idea how, but Ruby knew she was on fire with the deductions today.

Refocusing her attention once again, but this time to Yang's question, Ruby thought about how she was going to convey everything Henrich had said and everything _Burning_ _Star_ was potentially capable of, but the roar of the crowd got louder as the next student stepped out – a boy dressed in nothing but green clothing.

The cloaked girl found the different shades of green which comprised his combat outfit and the style of his coat to be flamboyant, like Amber's, but apart from his flashiness Ruby wouldn't have guessed he was a Huntsman-in-training.

He was below the average male height, scrawny and looked nervous as he stepped out into the amphitheatre.

Ruby waited for herself and the crowd to calm down, which wasn't much due to the already built up excitement from the previous two matches, before asking her group of friends, her … _new_ group of friends a simple question.

"Who's that?" said the cloaked girl as she sat back down.

"Orion Correia."

All of RWBY and JNPR's members – except one – redirected their eyes towards the source of the stoic tone which gave yet another methodical reply.

Ren.

"You know him?" Nora breathed, obviously surprised by her partner's knowledge.

"Yes, Nora."

"Does everyone who likes the colour green in a club or something?" asked Jaune.

"Or something," Ren quoted back with a little smirk.

"I swear it's like you _actually_ believe you created everyone on Remnant sometimes," said an agitated Weiss. "Why else carry yourself with such exactness and purpose, like you already know everything and feel no need to prove it?"

"Who says he didn't create us and knows everything about everything?" beamed Yang, but there was a hint of genuine concern in her voice. "Who says Ren isn't some super creative guy who thought up this entire world and continued to think up amazing characters, awesome weapons and cool powers before spending hours behind a, oh, I don't know, a desk or something bringing them to life? I mean, I'm still not _too_ sure about his Semblance, so who knows right?"

They intensely stared at Ren, all of them asking themselves the same question.

_Is he really our creator?_

Ren looked absolutely befuddled.

"I met him a couple of years ago," he said after a few seconds.

"Sure you did," nodded Yang, her tone telling Ren she would keep whatever secret he possessed.

"But it's true."

"Okay."

"Yang," he said sternly, grabbing everyone's undivided attention. "A couple of years ago I ventured into a forest where I met Orion. He was training, fighting a horde of Grimm to practice using his weapon in combat, but at the time I didn't know that."

"You jumped in and helped him," Nora said happily, proud of her friend.

"Yes, but he didn't need my help."

"What happened then?" asked Blake.

"Orion and I killed the last of the Grimm together, and even though he never needed my help, he thanked me for offering it and was happy to have acquired a temporary sparring partner."

"Sounds gentlemanly," beamed Pyrrha.

"He was, and probably still is."

"Practice," uttered Ruby, drawing her friends' eyes to her. "You said 'practice', so does he find it difficult to use his weapon?"

"We all practice using our weapons in battle, Ruby. Why would he need more?"

"We do," agreed Weiss. "However, you _did_ make it sound like Orion _really_ needed to train using his weapon in a fight."

"I suppose," said Ren, but his words were not filled with contempt or an unwillingness to answer any questions. They were spoken in his usual stoic tone. "Well let's just say there's an art to using his weapon."

"That's all you're going to give us, isn't it?" Jaune enquired.

"Perhaps."

"Can you at least tell us what it's called?"

"I believe he named it _Boundless Fire_."

"Ooh," Ruby breathed, her mouth forming a small 'O' from delight and her love of the name.

"Commence," Professor Goodwitch spoke over the intercom.

The eight students ceased their conversation and focused on the second years below.

"You know I'm probably going to lose this, right?" said Orion as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and gave his opponent an embarrassed, toothy grin.

"Oh come now, I'm not _that_ good," Amber replied modestly.

"Whatever you say," he said casually.

_They're talking? Why are they talking? I want to see them fi-_

Orion sharply straightened his arms so his open palms were facing the ground, the action causing long chains with attached kuna to spill from his sleeves. The interlocked pieces which comprised the chains piled onto the ground by his feet like metallic waterfalls, forming two cone shaped stacks on the ground after a few moments. The spilling stopped and Ruby couldn't even guess at how long the chains were, but then his weapon wouldn't have had 'boundless' in its title if the chains were short or had a guessable length.

"Okay Amber … take your best shot."

His opponent scoffed and performed a similar action to Orion. She pushed out open hands as if to shove him back from a distance, her movement causing the crossbows attached to her bracers to spring forward. It was like the world must have slowed down from Amber's perspective, because her weapon was moving faster than the eye could see, yet the moment the two halves passed over awaiting hands and handles sprang out from their bases she took hold of _Burning Star_ and began to rapidly fire orange coloured Dust rounds at her opponent, holding her presumably heaving crossbows like a pair of pistols.

Ruby was impressed by the girl's reflexes and wondered if Amber's Semblance was something to do with speed, altering her perception of time or if she was simply gifted with lightning fast reflexes, but then the cloaked girl's eyes settled on Orion doing something equally as amazing … he was intercepting every shot.

Witnessing Amber activating _Burning Star_ had prompted the green-themed student to grip the ends of his chains and start performing a majestic display of skill. Ruby could see Orion was rooted to the ground, but he was speedily rotating his arms in every humanly (or 'Faunusly') possible direction to keep up with the ferocity of Amber's gunfire, manipulating the kuna and chains in such a way that every round fired by his opponent was either destroyed upon impact with a kuna or batted away by a chain if they got too close.

Both students were quick like the other second years and probably could have continued their fight the way it was for a number of hours – Amber speedily pulling the triggers of her crossbows and Orion defending himself – but eventually the battle would shift and the question was simple … who was going to falter first? Would Amber run out of ammunition? Or would Orion misjudge a shot and get … shot?

It turned out to be the former.

After firing countless rounds for its mistress, _Burning Star_ ultimately ran out of ammo and clicked instead of fired. Amber seemed unaffected by this most likely due to her ability to switch her weapon from its current form to the herald 'Photon Mode', but Orion was eager to end their battle quickly probably for the same reason and the speed at which she would have shifted from distance to close quarters combat, so he took hold of his potentially split second advantage.

Ruby would have done the same were their roles reversed, Hell, they _all_ would have, but it was apparently the wrong move to make against Amber Stone.

Orion shifted from defence to offense in the blink of an eye, rotating on the spot as his right-hand chain drew itself back into the device which must have existed beneath his sleeve and lashed out with his still extended left-hand chain. The razor sharp kuna on its end cut through the air in an arc and was on course to strike Amber across her neck, but as the small blade got closer, the orange-themed girl took a calculated step back and dodged it.

Ruby gawked at the incredible sight, watching as – from her perspective – the kuna looked like it cut Amber's throat, but it must have missed by a hair's breathe by virtue of the fact the orange-themed was still alive. The cloaked girl guessed, however, that if Amber was instead a guy and had an Adam's apple, and if her Aura had been low, then it would have ended a lot messier.

Seeing the evasion, Orion swiftly pushed out his left hand and the second kuna launched itself at Amber, dragging the chain through the air. Like its predecessor the kuna was on course to strike Amber's neck, but it would have possibly gone through her windpipe on this occasion if she had a low Aura reserve or, more importantly, stood still.

The cloaked girl once again looked on in amazement as Amber took another calculated step, yet this one was to the side and a pinch larger than the last. It wasn't a massive difference, but Amber must have seen the situation as growing dire or at least had seen his last attack as being a little too close for comfort, because she released the crossbow within her right hand and thrust out her fist, the motion causing the half-weapon's handle to collapse and for the crossbow to reattach to her forearm.

The young leader had recognised the ways Violet had evaded a number of Valery's attacks; they knew each other's fighting styles. But the precision of Amber's movements and her capability to trigger and react to _Burning_ _Star_'s intricaciesconfirmed Ruby's suspicions…

Amber could at least manipulate _her own_ perception of time.

It was pleasing to see Amber moving with _such_ accuracy that _every_ little move she made caused a thousand different events to unfold which only she could react to, but witnessing this paled in comparison to seeing a five foot wide, amber-coloured beam of pure energy fire from one half of _Burning_ _Star_.

Everyone gasped as the unbelievably beautiful beam roared through the air and struck Orion, engulfing most of his form, causing him to cry out in pain as his Aura was rapidly depleted by a single, continuous attack.

Eventually the beam was ceased when his Aura turned red and, once it was, Ruby could see the strange mixture of excruciating agony and exhaustion written across his face and the smoke rising from his unsinged body.

Ruby should have been horrified by the amount of pain Amber, Violet, Valery, Silver and Ashley were willing to inflict upon their opponents or by the fact Orion, who was in the process of collapsing, had twice aimed for Amber's neck … but no such emotion surged through her entire being, unlike a particular crimson-themed student awaiting his match within the safe zone.

Instead she, and a majority of the Beacon students, rose from their seats and applauded louder than they had ever applauded before, screaming their praise and excitedly pleading for the fight to go on for longer.


	7. Ch6: I'll Give Them Something To Cheer

**Chapter 6: I'll Give Them Something to Cheer**

Krev looked on in disgust from the archway to the amphitheatre, watching as his associates practically beat each other to death to a soundtrack of students whooping, hollering and crying out for the battles to go on for longer. He was also filled with dreed and hatred, emotions triggered by and simply directed towards Remnant's corrupt society…

A world where children no older than _seventeen_ loved violence and begged for more!

Ironwood's light, self-indulgent applause every time a fight ended also infuriated Krev and made him want to punch the General, _hard_, in the face.

It was _so_ tempting, but he knew it wouldn't end well considering his chance of defeating Ironwood in battle, because Valery – who was now conscious after her fight – and his other associates would try to stop him. By trying to stop him, it would lead to a fight Krev did not want in case he … accidently-on-purpose killed one of them in a fit of pure, soul distorting rage.

Remaining silent as Amber essentially dragged an unconscious Orion back into the amphitheatre's 'safe zone' to a cheering crowd, Krev thought about the reasons why he participated in sparring matches. He hated the senseless violence other students loved so much, but he always allowed himself to unleash his might and almost kill his opponent every time. He never imposed any self-restraint and always fought with unadulterated wrath. Krev knew this had garnered him the nickname 'Blood Angel' and what his own associates said about him behind his back … he knew how scared his friends were every time he fought any of them, but there was a reason for his behaviour.

Krev sparred and fought like a so called 'Blood Angel' because he was practising, preparing himself for the day he _would_ take that final step in battle once again and end another's life.

He had killed before to protect his tribe and would do so again to avenge it.

"Will the next pair please make their way to their starting positions," ordered an elegant and hesitant woman over the theatre's speakers, but Krev didn't move.

When he heard Ironwood mention sparring matches to Ozpin back in the headmaster's office, Krev only portrayed anger because he, his team and Team NOVA weren't told they would be fighting each other during their time at Beacon Academy. Sure his friends knew what was going to happen and what order they would be fighting in, but Krev still despised what was happening and was tempted to just stand still and refuse to fight.

"Come on," Ironwood said happily. "You're up!"

But the moment the General opened his mouth, Sapphire walked past the Blood Angel and slowly stepped into the amphitheatre, drawing his giant blade, _Jekla_, as he entered the sparring area.

The audience cheered his arrival in excitement for the next fight.

"Is something wrong, Krev?" the General asked.

The Blood Angel glanced over his shoulder and threw Ironwood the same dirty look he gave Ozpin earlier that day, telling the General never to speak to him.

"Well go on," Ironwood smiled, not paying attention to or, more likely, caring about Krev's expression. "Now's not a time to be shy."

He didn't want to step out into the amphitheatre and battle a friend for entertainment, but then he thought of an idea to test how much these students loved violence, to test how far these students would want him to go and to see if they were completely lost.

"I'll give them something to cheer," Krev breathed in a cold, menacing tone as he turned his gaze upon Sapphire and stepped forward.

* * *

Yang had tried multiple times during the pauses between each match to act like her usual self and make a few lame jokes, but these were just an attempt to hide how she really felt. She was also trying to hide how much her mind kept phasing out from the battles taking place right in front of her and thinking about the mystery woman.

_Who was that woman? Was that person even a woman?! Yes, of course that was a woman, but who are they?! Why did they save me?!_

"Damn it," Yang whispered angrily.

She was beginning to get really frustrated with her own obsessing.

"Are you okay?" asked Blake, leaning in enough for their shoulders to touch.

"Yes," she replied cheerfully. "I'm fine."

Blake looked unsure for a moment and gazed directly into her eyes, but the Faunus seemed to take Yang's answer at face value – or at least pretended to for the blonde's benefit – and leaned back to continue watching whatever was happening below.

Even though she would have loved nothing more than to speak with Blake about her own obsession, Yang was scared about what her partner would tell her about the White Fang. It was a stupid worry and she knew it, but a little while ago Yang had dragged Blake into an empty lecture theatre and revealed a part of her past, so she was scared Blake would repay the favour and tell her about the things she might have done as a member of the White Fang.

It was horrible group willing to infest Vale with Grimm, so she was terrified revelations about Blake's past would change the way she felt about the Faunus.

Suddenly almost everyone in the packed amphitheatre rose to their feet again and cheered as another of the General's students made an appearance, including Ruby.

"Whooooo!" her sister yelled. "Oh my god that sword is awesome!"

Yang watched as a tall boy in blue armour drew an eight foot long, silver-coloured broadsword from the sheath on his back. It was definitely impressive even though it probably didn't transform, looking pretty amazing with its blue edging. Ruby's reaction might have been a little too much though.

"Calm down, sis!" Yang shouted over the applauding/cheering crowd.

"I'm sorry," Ruby shouted back. "It's just I'm so looking forward to this!"

Apparently everyone was, including Team JNPR, except herself, Blake and Weiss.

"Look Yang! There's his opponent!" cried Ruby, pointing at the person who entered.

Yang cast her gaze back to the sparring area below and was met with the most wonderful sight. The boy, no, the _man_ who emerged from the archway was beautiful. He was literally tall, dark and handsome, his perfect male form tantalisingly hidden, yet complimented by his outstanding jacket – one of the coolest jackets Yang had ever seen.

Whoever he was, he carried himself with passion and purpose, which Yang found very sexy.

Even though Yang felt her jaw drop open and her eyes widen as he stalked into the sparring area, she told herself not to get so … _excited_ by a student she'd never met before, especially when it was the guy who didn't wish anyone good luck before the matches. But she couldn't help herself. Yang didn't know if it was just her, but she felt something flowing from him, something very familiar and intoxicating.

"Do you feel that?" said Blake.

"You feel it too?" Yang was curious to see if her partner was feeling the same way about the new guy, if Blake also found him attractive.

"Yeah," said a dumbfounded Ruby, which panicked Yang for a moment. "It's like … like…"

"His Aura," added Weiss, helping everyone identify the strange feeling and unintentionally calming Yang. "We can all sense his Aura? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Blake said, worried by the realisation. "But it's coming off him like a field."

The amphitheatre fell silent as those who were on their feet began to sit after sensing the same thing as Team RWBY a moment earlier, the sudden change in volume acting as the man's cue to pull back his crimson jacket and detach two hilts from his hips.

"Wait, where are the blades?" asked Ruby.

It was like he heard, because shards of metal extended from each dark green hilt and formed slender, curved blades. They were certainly an interesting design, for the tips were arched outwards ever so slightly, creating a small hook on the end of each blade.

"You were saying?" teased Yang as she leaned forward in her seat, her awe plastered all over her face.

The man held his swords by his sides as he approached his opponent, never stopping, not even taking up his starting position.

_Wait! Why isn't he stopping?_

"Mr. Melek, will you please take up your start position as the match has not yet begun," ordered Glynda's voice, but he ignored her.

The boy in blue armour halted near the other end of the amphitheatre when he heard her voice and began to turn around, but he wasn't fast enough. Yang watched as the mysterious man gave an evil sneer before rushing his opponent, closing the gap using an incredible Semblance.

* * *

Every time he mentally prepared himself for battle, his body radiated a field of Aura he could choose for others to sense. It was a part of his Semblance and testament to the fact he possessed an above average reserve of the mythic energy. These were similarities he shared with the knight standing several feet away, for they both possessed – for the lack of a better term – 'Sembli' which manipulated an 'Aura Resonance' in different ways.

These were abilities which somehow bound Krev and Sapphire, but there was a small difference; even though Sapphire also wielded the Semblance simply known as 'Resonance', his field was small in comparison to the Blood Angel's and Krev knew this was the reason why everyone in the amphitheatre had fallen silent and focused on him.

They could sense his Aura and they were confused, yet they were also intrigued.

Feeling all eyes upon him, Krev gave everyone an evil smirk to mock and assess the crowd.

There wasn't anyone worth noting on one side of the amphitheatre, but he recognised a few on the other. This included Pyrrha Nikos, the so called 'Invincible Girl', and Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.

He almost felt honoured to be in their presence, _almost _being the key word, because he ultimately hated them all the same. He did not care for their celebrity status or the love they received from the general populous, to him Nikos was a figurehead for the senseless violence ravaging Remnant's society whilst Schnee, well, the Schnee Dust Company was the perfect example of corruption.

No, in actuality the only person worth noting was the awe-struck blonde sitting near them.

Krev sighed inwardly knowing full well that her awe, her _fascination_ with him was about to turn into fear…

Time seemed to slow down as the Aura Resonance behind Krev solidified, turning itself into blood-red crystals. The jagged objects seemed to extend from his back as they aligned themselves to form a pair of blade-like wings. The span of the wings was over twice the size of Krev himself, the total span an impressive fourteen feet from pointed tip to pointed tip.

The sight was strangely angelic, yet what came next was anything but.

It shouldn't have been possible due to the centimetre thin gaps between each of the hundreds of crystals, but Krev pumped his wings with enough force to rival a bird of prey, generating more than enough air to propel himself forward.

With his feet off the ground, Krev dashed towards his opponent silently, his thin blades – the aptly named _Crimson_ _Force_ – held near the ground to remain as streamlined as possible.

The Blood Angel was immediately going for the kill without Glynda's approval, but no-one reacted to his sudden action considering how shocked they were. It looked as if Sapphire was to be taken by surprise and suffer a major injury from Krev's upcoming attack, however; having heard the crowd fall silent, Goodwitch's voice telling Krev to stop and having felt Krev's resonance before its concealment, Sapphire was ready.

At the last moment Sapphire turned on the spot and swung _Jekla_, blocking Krev's strike. The Blood Angel wore a mask of silent fury as he and the Blue Knight pushed against each other's swords in an attempt to break the other's defence, but they appeared to be equally matched.

The 'grudge match' lasted a few more seconds, then Krev erupted, pushing forward with all his might to break Sapphire's stance before unleashing a barrage of sword and wing strikes. It was stunning to watch Krev's unique style; bladed wings and brutish swords attacking in a random sequence of shining blood and glistening steel.

Krev was fast and strong, for he landed countless hits and each one pushed Sapphire back, however; they weren't successful. The Blue Knight might not have been as good as Krev, but he was able to parry, counter and deflect every strike with his gigantic broadsword.

Sapphire was losing, but still doing well. He knew that if he could last long enough, then perhaps he could exploit an error in stance or strike placement on Krev's end, but the Blood Angel never faltered in combat and today was no exception.

Krev landed a hit on _Jekla_ which caused Sapphire to stumble back. Taking the opportunity he had created, Krev slashed downwards with his right-hand blade and connected with his opponent's weapon, wrenching the sword from its owner's grip and driving the tip (which was almost a foot in width) into the ground.

With Sapphire disarmed, the Blood Angel twisted on the spot and struck his opponent with the momentum, but he didn't send the Blue Knight hurtling away nor did he hit Sapphire with _Crimson_ _Force_. Instead Krev vertically struck his opponent with an elongated wing, slashing upwards from the Blue Knight's midsection to face, sending him skyward.

The crowd watched as the Blue Knight span through the air like a ragdoll, his arms and legs flailing erratically due to an uncontrolled take-off.

His opponent was vulnerable, so Krev spread his wings and flapped to give chase. It took a millisecond for the Blood Angel to align himself with the cartwheeling Sapphire, and when he did Krev unleashed another flurry of crystal wing/sword strikes, but this time they were unblocked.

If Sapphire hadn't possessed his Guardian, then he would have been cut into tiny bite size pieces.

Members of the audience, including Yang, glanced at Sapphire's Aura gauge and expected to find it declining rapidly, but surprisingly enough it had been depleted by only a few millimetres; still in the green.

Yang knew if that had been any of Team RWBY or JNPR under such an assault then their Aura would have been in the red a few dozen strikes ago…

_These second year leaders are something else._

Krev turned in mid-air with a large degree of elegance, holding his blades close together as he brought them down for a final, augmented strike. You see, Krev had manipulated the Aura around and above his weapon, transforming the resonance into a solid, foot long crystal sword which bound the two parts of _Crimson_ _Force_ for a powerful hit.

The audience might have gasped, but the sound of a shattering blood-red crystal sword filled the amphitheatre as Krev's finisher struck Sapphire's chest.

The Blue Knight came crashing down like a meteor as the shards dissipated, his back aching from a sudden, almighty impact which split the ground in all directions.

Sapphire tried to move, but he was pinned to the floor by the broken stonework wedged against his body. All the Blue Knight could do was watch as his opponent came in for another attack.

With Sapphire vulnerable once more, Krev flapped his wings to dive-bomb. He was holding his blades to either side of his body, making him streamlined and consequently faster as he approached his target. For a moment everyone must have believed the Blood Angel was going to augment his strike again and bring down a massive hammer or something as equally as cruel, but instead he did something new…

Krev turned in mid-air so his feet were the body part pointed towards his opponent and everyone watched in awe as crystals formed beneath him to resemble a pointed shield, but judging by its thirty degree incline from the centre, it wasn't for defence – the coned shield was another strike!

Yang's theory was proven moments later when Krev's feet came crashing down on Sapphire's chest, the shield shattering on impact.

From her perspective it looked as if the battle was suddenly frozen in time, instantly resembling a painting. She found the sight of Krev – knees bent and vicious looking wings fanned out – surrounded by a plume of glistening shards breath taking.

Yang wished the display of power could have lasted forever, but as the saying goes…

All good things must come to an end.

Time returned to normal as Krev performed a backflip, launching himself off Sapphire as he spread his wings and caught the air.

Yang could feel her heart pound faster from excitement as Krev hung in the sky over his opponent like an angel of death – his opponent's reaper.

_Wonder what he's –?_ was all her mind could conjure before, without a single movement from Krev, the crystal shards lingering in the air flew towards Sapphire as four streams.

He might have been dazed and his chest throbbed with pain, but Sapphire still felt the crystals wrap themselves tightly around his wrists and ankles, and he _most_ _certainly_ felt being wrenched from the floor, flying through the air and being slammed against a wall.

The Blue Knight hoped he would have slumped down to the ground after impact, but he felt his wrists and ankles were still bound and his back being painfully pressed against a stone wall.

Sapphire shook his head to clear his mind, allowing him to take in several details at once. He saw and heard the audience whooping, saw his Aura was still in the green and the small crater his impact had created, but the fourth thing he saw frightened him…

Krev fell to the ground thirty feet away from Sapphire in a stylised crouch, his wings spread wide and swords at the ready as he straightened his back. The Blood Angel needed to act fast while his opponent was disorientated, knowing all-too-well from experience his crystals could be negated by Sapphire's own Semblance.

With victory within his reach, Krev collapsed the blades of _Crimson Force_ into the hilts and threw the hilt in his left hand into the one within his right hand. The moment the two halves made contact they interlocked and started to crawl up Krev's arm, their components merging and changing shape until they became one entity – a dark green cannon on the Blood Angel's right forearm.

_Crimson Force_'s second combat mode (or 'form', whatever a person preferred) looked like a weapon sported by super-soldiers in science fiction. This was an observation which made Yang's jaw drop, but what really took her aback was what happened next.

Within a split second of the cannon being formed Krev pushed out his augmented limb, causing the weapon to fire a blood-red energy beam with a spread which equalled Krev's six foot five height.

The sounds of _Crimson Force_ firing were music to a weapon lover's ears, the sounds akin to the sultry sighs and wild gasps emitted during passionate sex. Every time the technologically advanced weapon fired it would emit a loud _thoom_ before its blast destroyed every particle in the air, causing the initial sound to mutate into that of a powerful, angry hurricane.

It was the sound of oblivion.

Even though the transformation and firing of _Crimson Force_ had occurred over mere seconds, the events had transpired in slow motion from Sapphire's perspective, his adrenaline slowing the passage of time. Seeing his opponent in the process of unleashing a continuous crimson beam towards him spurred Sapphire into action – he needed to react. Therefore, the Blue Knight activated his Semblance.

Every time the Blue Knight mentally prepared himself for battle his body resonated Aura like Krev's, but there was a difference. Apart from possessing a subtle form of telepathy, he could also manipulate his Aura Resonance differently to his opponent. Instead of having Krev's capability to form blood-red crystals out of thin air and combine them to create a variety of objects, using at least one of his swords as a catalyst to do so, the leader of Team NOVA was able to transform his Resonance into something which resembled threads of pure energy … and without the need for a sword also.

By concentrating on his wrists and ankles, he formed intertwined, pulsating blue strands around the four target areas like bracelets beneath Krev's crystals, weakening their hold. With a little more effort and a grunt from Sapphire, he was able to break free of his opponent's grasp, the action simultaneously destroying his threads and the crystals.

After landing firmly on his feet a split second later, Sapphire charged forward as Krev was in the final moments of pushing out his arm. There was only one thing he could do to prolong the battle. Threads of converted Aura materialised in the Blue Knight's palms and were split apart a moment later into twelve smaller threads when he flicked his hands outwards. By performing this action twelve streams of tangled threads travelled around his body and latched themselves to the disks on his armour.

Sapphire halted several feet away from Krev as the beam started to leave _Crimson_ _Force_ and pushed out splayed hands, an action which caused the twelve sentries of _Jern_ _Swarm_ to detach from his torso and, subsequently, form a circle just above the Blue Knight and fire their own slender, navy-blue beams of energy on a single point.

The individual rays and the blood-red beam collided halfway between the two leaders, the energies nullifying each other due to their similarities.

The Atlas military had made leaps-and-bounds developing energy weapons, but no energy-based firearm was yet to be as advanced as _Crimson_ _Force_. It was a unique weapon, or, at least, for a time until Krev allowed Amber to study the weapon and use anything she learned to further upgrade _Burning_ _Star_. Krev also allowed the same technology to be reversed engineered by Amber for Ashley's _Wolf's_ _Bane_ and Sapphire's own _Jern_ _Swarm_ as they also wished to possess energy-based weapons. This meant four students had the technology before the Atlas military. As a result of this they had been asked several times to hand over their weapons for study, but each time they all refused.

Atlas already possessed too much military power, and Ironwood certainly didn't need any advanced weapon's tech to boost his ego.

Sure the General could have called upon his power as their headmaster or as a high ranking officer, or he could have asked for Valery's assistance in retrieving at least one of the armaments, but that would have led to a conflict no-one wanted.

The audience watched in expectation as a sphere of glowing blue-red energy expanded from the point where the beams met, growing to about ten feet in size before detonating and sending out a colossal wave which dissipated after several feet, but not before it struck the two leaders.

The force of the impact didn't effect Sapphire because he conjured a circular field comprised of threads at the last second to protect himself from the blast, but Krev on the other hand was unable to react in time and failed to summon a crystal shield, therefore, the wave struck his Guardian and he was sent spiralling through the air.

Krev knew without the need to look that his Aura was still well within the green despite the annoying hit, so he formed a new pair of bladed wings without the fear of running out of the mythic energy and fanned them out; the crystal wings somehow catching the air despite their continued fractured appearance, allowing Krev to stabilise himself mid-flight and gracefully land with the base of his shoes firmly on the ground several feet of Sapphire - speaking of which…

Sapphire formed a cluster of threads in each palm and pushed the air with his open left hand, the cluster turning into a wave of interweaved strands as the attack screamed towards Krev. The Blue Knight continuously repeated this process, alternating between hands as he fired wave after wave at his opponent.

The Blood Angel was not frightened by this sight, remaining calm and expressionless as ever during a fight, but he knew that if a single wave struck his body then he would be glowing a pleasant shade of blue and thrown around the amphitheatre.

Krev found it amazing how the moment a group of Sapphire's threads struck an opponent, the Blue Knight could, with a subtle flick of the wrist, coat said opponent with the strands of converted Aura and manipulate their physical form.

The best analogy was telekinesis, but with the added, and certainly literal flare.

Krev followed his opponent's example and manipulated the Aura surrounding his blades, coating the two halves of _Crimson_ _Force_ in crystals as he readied himself for the barrage. When the first of Sapphire's waves were within his reach, Krev slashed forward and cut it in two, causing the threads to disintegrate a millisecond later. Krev continued his slashing, never letting a single wave past his flurry.

The Blood Angel's defence was impenetrable as always, slightly frustrating Sapphire as he saw no immediate end to their match, however; the Blue Knight suddenly formed a risky plan.

Sapphire stopped his barrage and focused as he held his left hand by his side, channelling his Resonance, allowing it to build around his forearm and hand. He was patient and waited for the ideal opportunity to strike, which was a fraction of a second later when Krev destroyed the last of the relatively small waves. Seeing this, Sapphire pushed out and unleashed a wave of interweaved threads as large as his opponent. It was an impressive attack, but he knew Krev would negate the wave at any moment, therefore, he quickly surrounded his fingertips in converted Aura and splayed his hand, firing miniature streams which travelled through the air behind Sapphire and latched onto the twelve sentries of _Jern_ _Swarm_ which laid over the wounded ground, having been swept away by the shockwave of combined energy beams earlier.

Once the sentries were in his grasp, Sapphire pushed out once more with open hands, causing the disks to rush towards Krev.

The Blood Angel saw the last incoming wave and dispatched it with ease, but its dissipating halfs obscured his vision momentarily as they passed by either side of him. When his vision cleared, Krev looked around and saw _Jern_ _Swarm_ surrounding him, the twelve sentries in a dome formation.

_So the last wave was a distraction. Clever. If Sapphire keeps this up he might actually defeat me one day._

The centre of each disk glowed navy-blue and fired upon their shared target.

It was an attack that should have destroyed a person's Guardian, even Krev's, but the leader of Team KAVS reacted quickly and transformed a large amount of his Resonance into a solid dome, shielding himself from the bombardment.

Sapphire's expression turned from victorious to that of pure terror in an instant as he watched a blood-red crystal dome being pelted by his secondary weapon. For a moment he thought he'd finally beaten the Blood Angel, but that ambition was shattered.

_Oh well,_ thought Sapphire. _Maybe next time._

_Jern Swarm_'s safety protocols cut-in and stopped the weapon from firing. The moment this occurred Krev spread his arms out in a bellow of rage, an action which destroyed his protective dome and sent what seemed to be hundreds of shards into the air. They struck the twelve sentries and broke Sapphire's hold upon them, sending the devices hurtling away in all directions as the blood-red shards froze.

Sapphire, like the audience, watched this sceptical unfold before turning his attention back to Krev.

The Blood Angel stood with his arms spread out one moment, then pushed out closed fists – his fingers still wrapped around _Crimson_ _Force_ – the next, sending the army of shards towards the Blue Knight.

Sapphire would have created a proactive barrier like before, but he knew if he did that, then he wouldn't have possessed enough Aura to withstand Krev's final assault, therefore, he pushed out his right hand and fired a small wave of Aura towards _Jekla_, which was still buried into the ground several feet away.

When the wave struck a second later and wrapped itself around the hilt, Sapphire pulled his hand back, wrenching the broadsword's tip from the ground. The moment it was back between his fingers he moved it in front of him, almost hiding his entire body from view. Sapphire then rooted his feet and laid a hand against the sword, preparing himself and the weapon.

The shards collided with _Jekla_'s surface and shattered on impact, disintegrating moment s later in mid-air. When the barrage had ceased Sapphire began to lower his broadsword and peaked around the metal – a decision he regretted.

Krev was already upon him, his blades poised and blood-red wings unfurled. This sight, combined with the fury in Krev's crimson eyes, startled Sapphire and caused him to swing his broadsword in a horizontal arc. It was a desperate attempt to bat his opponent away and he knew it, for Krev blocked the strike and the two entered another series of attacks, parries and blocks with Krev being the aggressor.

It was a re-enactment of the beginning of their match as Sapphire began to lose his footing and stumbled back with every hit. Krev was relentless, wearing down his opponent until an opening was created seconds later … an opening he swiftly took.

The moment _Jekla_ ricocheted off one of his strikes, Krev unleashed a series of diagonal, vertical and horizontal attacks using only _Crimson_ _Force_. Every hit he landed upon Sapphire's torso chipped away at his Guardian and subsequently his Aura reserve, however; the Blue Knight possessed a vast amount of Aura like Krev, so it took the Blood Angel an additional twenty strikes in addition to the rest of the battle to even drive his opponent's Aura down to even being halfway in the green.

Seeing his opponent's Aura level drop out of the corner of his eye, Krev made his next move. The Blood Angel quickly formed crystals around his blades, merging the two halves once more, but this time into a massive hammer. With his augmented weapon in play, Krev turned on the spot and brought the hammer down on the back of Sapphire's head, driving his opponent's face into the ground and shattering the crystal weapon. As the pieces disintegrated, Krev leapt over his downed opponent and slashed as his back with his swords and wings.

It was hard for Yang and a few others to watch, but it got even harder with what happened next…

Krev brought down and smashed his right-hand wing into the Blue Knight the instant he touched the ground by Sapphire's feet, the force of the impact shattering the crystal appendage. Then, without any hesitation, Krev span around Sapphire's unconscious form and performed an uppercut with his left-hand wing, slashing his opponent's waist.

The force of the second impact destroyed Krev's wing and sent the Blue Knight sparling up several feet into the air like a ragdoll for the second time during their match.

_Oh_ _God_, thought Yang. _Please just let him crash to the ground – don't keep hurting him._

But Krev didn't hear her plea…

With his opponent directly overhead, Krev slammed one half of _Crimson_ _Force_ into the other and punched the sky, releasing another blood-red energy beam from the weapon, however; this one seemed slimmer than the last, less likely to actually kill Sapphire on impact, but it still must have hurt when it struck the Blue Knight.

Sapphire emitted a horrific cry of pain as the centre of the beam struck his sternum and pushed him higher into the air, but he fell silent when the beam stopped moments later … remaining silent as he hurtled towards the ground.

There was no gasp, no wince, no shriek or scream as Sapphire crashed and merged with the floor, only the sound of metal colliding with stone.

The Blue Knight was defeated.

Silence filled the amphitheatre as everyone stared in complete shock at what had just happened or rapidly glanced between the Sapphire and Krev. Yang was one of the latter, her eyes darting between the defeated leader of Team NOVA and Krev – the most vicious fighter she had ever seen – standing there with his back to Sapphire, having not even bothered to watch as his opponent came crashing face-first to the ground.

The silence remained for a few more seconds, but it was suddenly broken by almost every student getting to their feet and yelling at the top of their lungs as they applauded, congratulating the victor and the display of raw power.

It appeared as if only Yang, Weiss and Blake chose not to enjoy the spectacle immediately, for they had all seen Krev's maliciousness in others before: Yang had seen it in people like Torchwick's umbrella-wielding goon and less within people like Junior; Weiss had seen it in her father; and Blake had seen it within Adam and many of the White Fang – even herself for a time. Ruby had seen it before as well, but she was still young and was swept along with the crowd, so she had joined in with the applause from the start, screaming things like: "Oh my God! Whooo! More! MORE! Whooo!"

But only after a moment's hesitation, the three older members of Team RWBY stood up and joined the rest of the first year student body, cheering like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

Krev's face became a mask of sadness the instant his ears were assaulted by the applause, by the cheers … and by the requests for more violence.

For a moment it really looked like he'd been able to shock the students and actually disgust them, but now…

But. Now. They. Were. Cheering! What the Hell was wrong with these people?! Did they just enjoy seeing him almost beat his friend to death?!

Slowly Krev collapsed one half of _Crimson_ _Force_ into its standby form and attached the hilt to his belt, taking the time to plan his next move. He had tried to make them realise their desires were wrong, that _society_ was wrong through an indirect approach, but it had failed … so perhaps it was time for a direct one.

Krev glanced up at the holographic flags above him and observed that Sapphire's Aura was no longer in the green, but within the lowering half of the yellow, meaning the match wasn't actually over. He smirked to himself, picturing the blonde-haired woman and Ozpin desperately wanting to call the match, but the rules were the rules after all.

As long as Sapphire's Aura levels didn't drop into the red, the contest wasn't over and would remain in progress for as long as Krev needed.

The Blood Angel turned on the spot and summoned four clusters of blood-red crystals, then, with a mere internal command, the crystals flew towards Sapphire, wrapped themselves around the Blue Knight's ankles and wrists, and finally lifted him from the ground and suspended him in mid-air. Krev could already see Sapphire starting to regain consciences by the fluttering of his eyelids, but he wasn't going to have the strength to break free this time.

By suspending his opponent, members of the audience already started to lose some of their zeal, but what he did next perplexed or simply frightened them…

Krev spread out his arms as if to embrace them all and laughed, adorning a mocking smile.

"H ha ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA!" But what started out as a light chuckle turned into a sinister bellow. Upon hearing his mad laughter, people started to calm and settle down one-by-one, either confused or scared … or maybe even both! Krev certainly noticed one student, a young girl in a red hood, as she sat back down like everyone else with a hurt expression upon her face.

"What?! Why stop the applause?!" Krev asked the silent audience in an aggressive tone, snarling every word through gritted teeth as he over articulated with sharp movements to try and prove his point. "I thought you were _enjoying_ the spectacle of me _beating_ the life out of my friend here? Come on! I was relishing the applause!" He waited for a response, but none was given. A good sign, so he continued in a more friendly, yet still angry and mocking tone.

"I really thought you were enjoying the show and wanted to see more. Do you want to see more … because I'll give you more?" Nothing. "You know what, I think I'll give you a little more entertainment, but why don't we step it up a notch? How about I, oh, you know, just kill him?"

After saying the last part with a casual shrug and a nonchalant tone, Krev conjured a singular crystal and sent it hurtling towards Sapphire, but before its tip could impale his fellow leader's throat, Krev commanded the crystal to stop.

The audience gasped and Sapphire flinched when the crystal travelled towards its target, but even after it stopped the spectators and Sapphire's terrified eyes remained transfixed on the object forged from the Blood Angel's will.

Krev gave a self-satisfied grin at the reaction, knowing there was still hope; they might not have answered nor reacted to his question, but neither had they chosen to scream colourful language in his direction, throw objects like an angry mob or attack. A good start, so taking a deep, calming breath, Krev began to speak in a smooth, professional tone…

"The name 'Remnant' is indeed apt for this world, for we stand divided – confined by the walls of four kingdoms. We are lied to, manipulated and indoctrinated into believing the current world order is right! But we live in a world where _children_ are taught the art of war and _enjoy_ violence. It's _sick_, _cruel_, and only _perpetuated_ by individuals like your _dear_ Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood."

Still no reaction, but he wasn't done yet.

"Eight decades ago a _vicious_, _devastating_ conflict was fought to decide the very fate of this world, but what came out of it? Individuality? Freedom? I see neither! From day _one_ you were told bedtime stories of those who live to kill, _indoctrinating_ you into believing Hunters – what you are training to become – are the most heroic, noble warriors to walk this planet. Yet how is that freedom? _How_ are you _free _to make your own choices? Also, how are _individuals _made when so many do not wish, but are simply told to be, the same thing?"

Krev did not decide, but rather got carried away to the point where he began, to use a condescending, spiteful tone.

"But the outcome of the war isn't what upsets me the most, it's the way you have all become drones who believe _anything_ the governments tell you, _puppets_ who blindly accept everything … including your fate. But don't you see what's wrong with this world? Don't you see what you are?

"You are not _heroes_ destined to keep peace; you _are_, however, _weapons _to be pointed at an enemy one day so someone else can claim a petty triumph."

After growling his last statement, Krev spoke more sagely.

"I know not many of you see Remnant the same way as I do, but if any of you _do _and wish to _change_ this world for the better, then please, I _implore_ you to rise from your seat and help me unite our fractured, misguided world!"

But none of them did.

Even though Krev knew no-one would stand because their indoctrination was too great, he still felt a little disappointed.

"Huh, that's what I thought," he whispered under his breath.

And with that, Krev dissipated the crystal and the bindings, allowing Sapphire to slump onto the ground.

Krev took one last glance around and saw that students were either staring at him in disbelief or with angry expressions, so he decided to ignore them for the rest of his time in the amphitheatre.

The Blood Angel walked over to his friend, who was still struggling to even sit upright, and offered him a hand.

"Sorry about that," Krev said in his usual tone, a voice always filled with anger, sadness and, most of all, hatred. "I didn't want to hurt you so much, but I needed to prove a point and ask a very important question."

"Oh yes you did," Sapphire wheezed as he took Krev's hand. "But don't worry about it, I figured you out a long time ago and I take no offense."

When Sapphire was done talking, Krev pulled him onto his feet and supported his weight to prevent his friend from collapsing back onto the floor.

"Ha ha," the Blue Knight chuckled through gritted teeth as they began to shuffle towards the archway.

"What's so funny?"

"You," he exclaimed. "I can't believe you just tried to insight a revolution."

"Hey, what can I say? I've always thought Wednesday's needed a little pepping up."

"Ha ha – OW! Damn, my ribs," Sapphire winced.

"C'mon, let's get you to their medical facility."

Krev didn't know about the rest of the amphitheatre at that point, but the moment he came into the safe zone with Sapphire, the Blood Angel was faced with six shocked expressions and one of pure rage. Surprisingly enough the seventh expression didn't belong to Ironwood and instead belonged to Valery, the General's most loyal acolyte.

Locking eyes with Valery, Krev already knew the moment he entered their temporary dorm they were going to partake in another venomous argument.

* * *

Ironwood was taking inspiration from Krev – the student who got him into this situation – by looking out at the darkened city of Vale through his college's office window with his arms firmly crossed beneath his chest.

"Did your student actually try to insight a revolution?!" Glynda asked furiously.

After Krev's little … _display_, the General had opted to spend the rest of the day on one particular airship. He used the craft for sanctuary, devising intricate stratagems, contingency protocols and, of course, visited a certain criminal again during his time on the vessel. These, among other tasks, were all necessary preparations for the arrival of his fleet, but Ironwood had primarily wanted to keep his distance from Beacon for several hours.

Ironwood was initially shocked by Krev's speech because it was something no-one had ever heard before, but his disbelief quickly faded when his mind reminded itself about Krev. It was, ultimately, unsurprising that Krev would give such a speech considering his upbringing, his views and what had transpired little over a year ago, so the General wasn't embarrassed nor trying to avoid his student. In actuality he was attempting to evade Ozpin, Glynda and any awkward questions.

"Are you listening to me James?"

When it came to matters involving the White Fang he could – for the lack of a better term – 'pull rank' and be under no obligation to share any details with his colleagues, but when it came to students … well that was a different matter. As a teacher it was Ironwood's duty to discuss any student his associates deemed as potentially 'dangerous' to the wellbeing of any school's pupils and its faculty.

He didn't blame them if that was their assessment, but Ironwood knew there was nothing to fear from Krev. Sure he had what some called 'outlandish' views, but they were views which came from an honourable tribe and believed by a principled soul.

Ironwood smirked to himself, amused by his thoughts.

_I should really be telling them all this._

Again, as a teacher and Krev's headmaster, he should have been, but after all their secrecy the General believed Ozpin and Glynda deserved to be kept in the dark for a little while. It was an entertaining thought, but if Krev – an undeniably valuable asset – was going to stand _any_ chance of staying at Beacon, he was going to need to defend him…

It was the reason why he had decided to leave his ship after all.

Turning on the spot to face his inquisitors, the General saw that Ozpin was sitting on his clock-themed chair while Glynda rested the back of her legs against its edge, her arms, like his own, crossed beneath her chest as she gave him a stern glare.

"You don't need to fear him you know?" Ironwood said, meeting Glynda's gaze.

She rolled her eyes and retorted scornfully. "Now that's pretty difficult to believe."

"I know what you're thinking and I understand," the General continued, casually spreading out his arms to emphasize the truth in his words. "I know Krev's views and actions may seem a little … extreme, but you have to trust me when I say he's a good person, he's just has a misfortunate past."

"Trust you? Trust you?!" Glynda yelled, stepping forward as she pointed an accusing finger. "It's been little under a day since you stabbed your friend in the back and the first thing you do is bring that … _psychopath _into our school, our home, so how the _Hell _do you expect us to trust you?!"

"Glynda!"

Her features softened upon hearing Ozpin's voice, his firm tone drawing their – Ironwood and Glynda's – attention towards him.

"You said he has a 'misfortunate' past," Ozpin said, his fingers interlocked under his chin as his elbows rested upon the arms of his chair. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Ironwood's expression turned hesitant, unsure whether or not to divulge such personal details.

"You obviously feel such details should not be shared, so let's change the subject," his old friend said with a courteous nod and wave of a hand. "Since you were on that ship for almost ten hours, I'm assuming you spoke with Torchwick again."

"I did," the General replied indifferently.

"Well, did he tell you anything useful?"

"Oz, I –"

"General, I know you wish not to disclose _these_ details either, but if we are to discover their plans then we _must _work together."

Ironwood wished to continue punishing his colleagues for their uncaring secrecy, and perhaps he would, but as much as he hated to admit it Ozpin was right. If they were going to win this war, he would need to impart certain details.

There was just one problem….

"_Well hello again General," Torchwick exclaimed gleefully, sarcasm lacing every word, "it's truly good to see you again. Although, I am surprised you're here."_

"_Why be surprised?" said Ironwood, giving the criminal a confident smile. "After all, we have a lot to discuss."_

_After having dismissed the guards to the prisoner's cell, Ironwood opened the bulkhead which isolated Torchwick from the outside world. Torchwick had been stewing in his own juices for almost twenty-four hours, so it was reasonable to assume the criminal would be willing to reveal at least _some_ details about his associates, but it was evident from the smile on his smug face and the comment he made the moment the door opened that Torchwick still had some fight left._

_The smart move would have been to have walked away and allowed Torchwick to stew for longer, but since he was there and they needed to know more about their enemy, the General had decided to place down a chair he had carried with him in front of the cell's threshold and sit down. _

"_Oh look, you have chair. How nice. And here I was, thinking my good friend would give me the silent treatment," the criminal mocked, throwing the General an insufferable grin. "Suppose you believe nagging me is gonna work instead?"_

"_Why did you work for them, Roman?" the General coolly enquired._

"_So that's how you're playing this?" Torchwick ridiculed further, his arrogant smile intensifying. "You're doing that whole 'first name' thing. Do you honestly believe that will work? Do you think I'll say: General, since you just called me by my first name, I'll help you because we're such good friends now. Well, if that happens, then I'll also excrete a golden egg."_

"_Answer the question."_

_A frustrated breath escaped Torchwick's lungs. _

"_Well there isn't a 'them', as you put it," the criminal pointed out scornfully, his sardonic expression turning positively delighted as he added: "It's just me James, all me!"_

_Ironwood wasn't going to scold Torchwick for the use of his first name, but it had aggravated the General. _

"_I highly doubt you – a common criminal – had the capability to rally the White Fang," he retorted derisory. _

"'_Common'? Oh, I'm offended."_

"_It's clear you're not the one leading the operation," Ironwood continued, ignoring Torchwick's bogus offence. "So, _Roman_, who _did_ rally them? Who _exactly_ were you working for?"_

"_Hasn't it occurred to you yet I'm a people person? Well, I would hardly call them 'people', but you catch my drift." The criminal paused to think, a joyful smile playing on his lips. "I'm just talented at herding animals I suppose … I think I might have been a shepherd in a previous life."_

"_You're stupid jokes and vulgar racism won't get you far with me," snapped Ironwood, practically snarling every word._

"_And the General finally loses his cool!" the criminal exclaimed like a sports commentator, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Although, I don't think that was the first time today."_

_Ironwood knew exactly what he was referring to, but the General refused to give such _scum_ the pleasure of any reaction, therefore, he forced his enraged expression to calm._

"_We're getting off topic."_

"_But I like this topic," whined Torchwick. "How many chances am I gonna get to rub in your face the fact a student – and one of yours no less – caused such a scene."_

"_No such event occurred, Torchwick," Ironwood told him matter-of-factly. _

"_If you say so," he shrugged. "But guards talk General, so I know it happened. And, might I say, I find the things he said to be … interesting."_

_Ironwood glared at the criminal sitting before him, scrutinising the self-satisfied half-smile that made him want to punch Torchwick until he bled._

"_There's clearly no point in me staying here any longer," Ironwood said disappointingly as he stood and grabbed the back of his chair, successfully hiding his anger like the first time he interrogated the prisoner. _

"_But I was enjoying our little chat."_

"_Perhaps you were, but you obviously need more time alone before we … chat again. Don't worry though, I'll be back."_

"_And I'll be waiting," he cheerfully replied, giving the General a taunting sneer._

_Ironwood wore a stony expression as he isolated Torchwick for a second time, however this calm appearance disappeared as he exited the massive chamber with his chair in tow and an unpleasant desire resonating within._

_I wish I could torture him…._

Ironwood's attention came back to the present.

"He's being … difficult," he told his colleagues, informing them of the reason why he had failed to, thus far, gather anything useful from the prisoner.

"In what way?" Ozpin enquired.

"Bad jokes and racism," Ironwood responded. "He hasn't broken yet."

There was silence as they all thought about the situation, or, at least, as the two headmasters though about the situation…

"James?"

The General looked to his side and met Glynda's harsh, yet somewhat expectant gaze.

"What is it?" he asked gently, turning to face her.

"I know you don't want to talk about this, but it would be prudent for you to tell us everything you know about Krev Melek."

Ironwood was shocked. "I thought we had moved past this topic?"

"We had," interjected Ozpin, giving his closest associate a look of disappointment. "Glynda, why request such a thing?"

"Because if we are going to _trust_ him, then we need to know everything about Mr. Melek," she said, never taking her eyes off Ironwood as she uttered her ambiguous statement – ambiguous, because the 'him' could have been the General or the second year student.

Ironwood suspected she was referring to them both.

"I'm not going to force him if he – " Ozpin began, but he was interrupted by the General.

"It's okay Oz," he said in a friendly tone. "If she wants to know, then I'll tell both of you."

Ironwood knew he should have refused to tell them anything as punishment for their secrecy and to protect Krev's privacy, but Glynda had _refused _to let it go! So, with their undivided attention the General exhaled, preparing himself to divulge a devastating past…

The story of Krev Melek.

* * *

A multitude of thoughts and emotions would rush through your mind upon seeing her, thoughts and emotions that would tell you one important fact about her personality and the power she possessed … she was a person you _really _didn't want to fight. But amongst these terror-filled notions would be an assumption, one which told you she was the type of person who preferred carrying out important tasks rather lounging around on top of a bed.

Well you would be right, but when it was essential to act inconspicuously, what else was Cinder Fall supposed to do?

"Should we be afraid of him?" Mercury enquired in his usual arrogant tone.

"No," she sighed, Cinder's respire somewhat erotic.

"Should we try recruiting him?" added Emerald.

"No."

"Are you sure?" her green haired associate asked disparagingly. "He could be useful, and I don't think he'd refuse."

"Perhaps, but he's an idealist."

Mercury rolled his eyes. "They're _all_ idealists."

Cinder knew he was referring to the White Fang, which angered her. They were acting like children in a store refusing to move past the confectionary aisle until they obtained what they desired.

Knowing she would have to spell it out for them, Cinder made use of her natural sensuality and gracefully sat up on her bed, keeping a hand on the hem of her skirt as she elegantly swung her legs over the edge.

Cinder glared at her associates and was unsurprised to find Emerald sitting on the opposite bed whilst Mercury sat on the floor, leaning his back against the bed's frame.

"I agree with you in regards to the White Fang, but _they're_ easy to control idealists," she said scornfully. "Listen to me you two and don't ignore me this time, not like when you defied my orders and killed the store owner. I've seen his type before, so believe me when I say our best move is simple: we avoid him."

"So you _are_ afraid of him," smiled Mercury.

"No, I fear the outcome of a confrontation."

"Sounds like you're scared to me," he said smugly.

"There's a difference," snapped Cinder. "I do not fear _him_, in fact, I'm confident we would win any confrontation. That being said, any battle would _not_ be easily won and everything we have worked so hard to achieve would be revealed in a matter of moments, even destroyed."

"Shouldn't we at least consult with Adam before making a decision?" Mercury said with a dismissive wave of the hand. He must have felt obligated to ask such a question, for it was obvious he didn't care for the Faunus' opinion.

"No," Cinder replied sternly. "Besides, Adam would agree with my decision."

"What makes you think we'd end up fighting him?" asked a perplexed Emerald.

"Like I said, he's an idealist you can't control," Cinder explained, continuing to give them both a contemptuous scowl, yet despite all the frustration she had felt, and _was_ feeling, she never lost her natural seductiveness. "He believes this world is corrupt, so how do you think he would react to _us_?"

"But that's what makes him perfect – his beliefs, I mean."

"I know what you meant, but we're not going to be speaking to him, are we?"

Emerald looked down in disappointment. "I suppose."

"Although," Cinder pondered, "if it silences you two and saves us from a problem down the line, we _will_ eliminate him through more … _silent_ means."

"When?" asked Mercury, failing to hide his eagerness.

"Probably when he's alone," said Emerald.

"Oh, I think he's always alone," Cinder mused before answering properly. "We'll wait and see what transpires, so it could be awhile."

Mercury huffed like a stroppy child, which she found rather cute.

"I know you hate waiting, Mercury, but we have to handle the situation tactfully," she explained flirtatiously. "Remember, Roman's screw up put everyone on high alert, including _him_. Don't worry though…

"We'll clip the Blood Angel's wings eventually."

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it. Team KAVS and NOVA have fought with the former claiming victory, but this isn't important to the students, teachers and enemies roaming Beacon Academy. It's Krev's battle and his speech – his views on their society – that's on everybody's minds.**

**You'll see how Team RWBY perceives the Blood Angel shortly, but before you do, please leave a review expressing your opinion on Krev. Nothing offensive please, I just want to see if you agree or disagree with his views. It's basically a poll (I'm curious), so if you choose to participate, please put Agree, Disagree or Undecided at the beginning of your reviews for this chapter. **

**If you don't agree, I understand, but your views may change before the conclusion of this tale.**

**Take care,**

**ChildOfFate16**


	8. Ch7: It's Always Nice Meeting New People

**Chapter 7: It's Always Nice Meeting New People**

_Why did she save me? Did she save me because it's her? Did that woman protect me because she's my … No! Stop it! Don't give yourself false hope!_

Their days at Beacon Academy were passing by quicker than they would have liked, but time was becoming irrelevant to Yang as it all seemed to merge together. It felt this way to Yang because of the questions tormenting her mind, the idea of the person, the woman from the train, being the mother she had lost years ago constantly distracting her.

Yang so desperately wanted to believe the end of that sentence, but she knew it wasn't possible. Her mother, whoever she really was, had disappeared years ago without a trace and would never come back.

_But what if that woman is my mother? What if she finally decided to come back just in time to save my life? _

Even asking herself these questions filled Yang with joy, but the moment her mind decided to think the opposite, the moment it asked questions such as 'But what if she's a random person who saved you?' and 'What if your mother's really dead and never coming home?' she felt her eyes start to water.

Yang felt like she was being torn apart from the inside as she transitioned from elated to heartbroken in the blink of an eye, and knew it wouldn't stop until she finally got answers someday.

"Anyone else looking forward to Professor Port's class today?" Ruby asked the group in a solemn tone.

Not bothering to look up from the stone ground Yang smirked despite her depression, amused by Ruby being genuinely sarcastic – a skill she was most likely picking up from Weiss.

"I don't know about you, but I'm ecstatic," the heiress replied.

Yang's smirk grew a little more with Weiss' own sarcastic input.

The day was now Thursday and life had returned to normal. All the teams were back to attending improvised classes from 9.00am onwards, having lunch, attending more classes and finally having dinner with some free time in between. It was a routine Team RWBY had gotten used to near the beginning of their first semester, but now it just felt boring. Granted it wasn't helped by the fact they were on their way to Port's class, which were always dull, but this wasn't the main reason for their boredom.

The actual reason was simple.

They had done _way_ too many exciting things over the last few days: Sunday was the dance; Monday was the start of their first mission and the extermination of a Beowulf pack; Tuesday was the Breach and the prevention of a White Fang plot; and Wednesday, well, let's just say Wednesday was both exhilarating and terrifying for one reason…

Krev Melek.

"_The name Remnant is indeed apt for this world, for we stand divided – confined by the walls of four kingdoms."_

Those words plagued Yang's mind; she found the crimson-themed swordsman to be frightening, potentially unstable and intriguing. There was something about his whole demeanour which constantly drew her mind to thinking about him, shortly followed by the controversial words he had spoken.

"_I implore you to rise from your seat and help me unite our fractured, misguided world…"_

Yang had been one of the masses yesterday when he finished his speech, confused. But she was also hurt by his words even though they made no sense. Lied to? Misguided? Indoctrinated? Weapons? They were nothing of the sort! Yang and the others – her sister and friends – were training to be Huntresses for the good of all humans and Faunus, and from their own free will.

_Who does Krev think he is?! Actually, who is he really? Why does he believe such things?_

Yang knew she should have been angry, or at the very least disgusted by his statements, but she wanted answers.

She wanted to see him again.

"Are you okay?" asked a soft voice.

Yang's eyes widened as she looked to her left, having instantly recognised Blake's sensual tone.

When purple orbs met amber, Yang saw the concern in her partner's gorgeous eyes and the analytical glint the Faunus so often emitted. Blake was trying to figure out what was bothering her friend and this terrified Yang.

_What if she figures it out? What if she and Weiss hate me for wanting to speak to Krev? _

_What if Ruby hates me?_

"I'm fine," Yang said cheerily, throwing Blake the goofiest smile she could muster.

The elegant Faunus gave her friend a small, reassuring smile, telling Yang she could confide in her whenever she was ready. Blake then broke eye contact to see where she was going, which saddened Yang, but the tall blonde knew it was right the move to make and decided to follow her partner's example.

Apparently they were nearing the grand memorial statue after walking for … what? Several minutes? Yang couldn't tell anymore, so she was thankful for Ruby and Weiss leading the group and for Blake being right next to her, otherwise she would have wandered off in the wrong direction long ago in her current state.

_I'm glad Blake's my partner, she always there for me and gets it can be hard talking about certain things, like Summer and my mom._

And with that thought, Yang's mind began asking itself the same questions again-and-again, but this time it was different, this time it felt like her mind was being torn in half by thoughts of her saviour and her yearning to see Krev again.

_Who was that woman? Why did she save me? Could it be _her_? Why does Krev believe those things?_

"Hey," Ruby exclaimed before pointing towards something to their right. "Look over there."

The girls stopped their hike to Professor Port's class and stood in front of the memorial statue, gazing at an interesting sight several feet away.

Standing between the archways, on the path which lead to the memorial was the four members of Team KAVS.

_Oh yeah, I totally forgot!_

After yesterday's … _spectacle_, General Ironwood (looking as stunned as everyone else) told the first years that Team KAVS would be stationed at the school the following day while NOVA helped the Atlasian military (namely Atlasian Knights) to kill all of the Grimm still in the city.

The idea of KAVS remaining on school grounds angered, scared or confused everyone at the time, including Yang, but she found the idea of Krev being close by somehow reassuring. Besides, it would also give her the chance to speak with him.

Even from their current distance Yang could tell he was leaning his back against a lamppost, his arms crossed beneath his chest as he nonchalantly gazed out in the direction of the city.

"Wow," Ruby whispered. "She doesn't look happy."

Yang was befuddled by her sister's statement for a moment, but then looked slightly to the left and saw Valery standing in front of Krev, displaying her rage.

As Amber and Silver stood to one side watching on, Valery was making sharp gestures with her hands and her face was contorted in anger, suggesting the mace wielder was, or was about to, scream at her leader.

Yang imagined being yelled at by someone as tall and possibly as strong as Yatsuhashi to be uncomfortable to say the least, but Krev just stood there, never reacting.

It must have only fuelled the mace wielder's fury.

"What do you think they're talking about?" asked the cloaked girl.

"It has to be about yesterday," replied Blake. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've been arguing on-and-off for the last twenty-four hours."

"What makes you say that?" said Yang.

"Remember what Pyrrha said about Valery, how she admires Ironwood?"

Yang put the pieces together.

"So you're saying since he targeted the General in his speech, Krev really peeved off his teammate?"

"Preciously."

Yang shared a smile with Blake to acknowledge and congratulate them both on their moment of synchronised logic, but swiftly looked past Blake and a decidedly daydreaming Weiss to watch her sister.

"Ruby, are you okay?" But she obviously wasn't.

The young leader of Team RWBY looked nervous as she slowly ran a hand up and down the sleeve of her uniform.

"What's wrong?" added Blake.

"Just thinking about yesterday," Ruby replied with a hint of fear in her voice, her eyes transfixed on her crimson-themed counterpart.

"I get it Ruby," said Yang, turning her attention back to Krev. "I found it scary as well."

_And fascinating._

"Do you think Ironwood's school offers better training?"

Weiss' question came out of the blue and stunned them.

"Weiss?" said Ruby, her tone a mixture of confusion, offence and … what? Was that also hurt in Ruby's voice? "How could you even say that?"

The heiress frowned and turned to her leader.

"Look," she spoke harshly to fully grab Ruby's attention, "I don't like saying it, but look at the facts… " Weiss held up a hand and began to count as she recited said facts, "…_one_: those students are faster than us. _Two_: they have much larger Aura reserves, especially Krev and Sapphire. And _three_: their fighting styles are super refined." The heiress lowered her hand as she continued.

"Just look at Krev Melek over there for example; he might be scary as Hell, but he's also very powerful, _possibly _more powerful than _all_ _of_ _us_ combined judging by the sheer _fact_ he had Aura resonating off him! So, I'll ask you again; do you honestly believe we will reach their level _here_, at Beacon?"

"I'm glad to see you have such faith in my school."

Upon hearing the familiar, calming and all-knowing voice, the four girls tensed from embarrassment – it was like getting caught by a parent whilst committing a naughty deed – and quickly turned on the spot to see Professor Ozpin. He was standing there in his usual fashion; cane in one hand and a mug of … Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Milkshake powder? The girls could never tell which.

"Oh, Professor, I uh … I didn't mean to –" mumbled Weiss, desperately trying to explain her question. Seeing this, Ozpin gave a warm smile and tipped his cane in a reassuring gesture.

"Please, Ms. Schnee, I understand the reasons behind your remark."

"You … do?"

"Of course."

Ozpin lowered his cane so that its tip rested upon the ground and redirected his gaze towards Team KAVS in the distance. The four members of Team RWBY gave each other confused looks, then followed their headmaster's example.

"I too find these students intriguing and their power incredible, so I understand your concern for not being anywhere near their level considering the amount of training you have received off, but mainly _on_, the battlefield. That being said, KAVS and NOVA are _second_ year teams, so they _have_ indeed received more advanced, and some would say, _better_ training. They are older, therefore are given a more rigorous and thorough education than you."

"So we'll be able to fight like Krev by the beginning of next year?" Weiss asked, still unsure about his explanation.

"Well in Mr. Melek's case I'm afraid not," Ozpin said coyly.

"Why is that, Professor?" Ruby inquired, like an innocent child wanting to know why the sky was blue.

They expected an answer, but none came.

The four girls turned and stared at Ozpin, asking him to explain with their eyes.

"I would love to tell you, but I'm afraid it's not my story to divulge," he explained, disappointing Ruby, Weiss and especially Yang before adding, "so how about you four take the day off and talk to them – make them feel welcome by showing them around. I'm sure they would appreciate the gesture."

"Ooh another Team RWBY adventure," Ruby announced in a singsong manner.

"Well I wouldn't call it an adventure per se," Weiss said with a hand to her chin. "But it could be enlightening."

"Yeah, and I'll finally get the chance to talk to Amber!"

Ruby was overjoyed and began skipping towards KAVS.

"Ruby, wait!"

"She's been spending too much time around Nora," Yang breathed, a wry smile dancing on her lips.

"I think you three should catch up with your leader before she gets herself into trouble," advised Ozpin.

"Thank you, Professor," each of the girls said before following Ruby.

"Have a nice day ladies," he said while they were still within earshot, then whispered, "And good luck."

* * *

The bright morning sun illuminating Vale somehow made the city look even more beautiful, even if it had some of Ironwood's airships patrolling the sky above it.

As he looked upon the majestic sight, Krev wished he could have been on the streets with Team NOVA hunting down Grimm instead of acting as Beacon's gate keeper. But he had no choice in the matter for two reasons.

He and the rest of Team KAVS were given standing orders to protect the school through the use of patrols and by watching over its landing pads. Krev also genuinely believed – no matter how much he hated agreeing with the General – that with the White Fang making such bold moves as of late, he – the feared and experienced Blood Angel – and his team – the victors of yesterday's sparring matches – guarding the school was for the best.

His conclusion did not stem from arrogance, but from a simple observation of power and skill.

"And that's another thing," Valery yelled at him. "You just stand there like you've got no care in the world, but-you-do. And the things you think about aren't normal … _you're sick Krev_ – sick in the mind. You need expert help!"

The reason Krev was standing there like he had 'no care in the world' was due to her constant droning – he was ignoring her. But he was also thinking about the previous day and the argument they had.

It seemed to be an argument that would never end….

"_What the Hell was _that _back there?!" Valery screamed furiously._

_After leaving Sapphire in the medical facility to rest and allow his Aura to heal his cracked ribs and the hairline fractures which ran across his entire bone structure, Team KAVS and the rest of NOVA were shown to their dorms; snug rooms situated in the dormitory currently occupied by students from academies across the globe, visiting Vale for the Vytal Festival._

_KAVS' dorm was located at the end of a hall, so their only neighbours were NOVA (who would be staying in the room parallel to theirs) and Team SSSN next door – a team name he thought at the time was spelt rather simplicity, but had to admit it looked good on the sign hanging from their door. This meant eight people would be their neighbours for the entirety of their stay in Vale, which Krev _didn't _mind, but what he _did _find frustrating and would have wagered Crimson Force on – and most likely have won – was their neighbours and potentially every other student and staff member in the vicinity hearing Valery shout the moment they stepped over the threshold to their new dorm._

"_Whatever do you mean?" he replied with a satisfied smile._

_He and Valery often argued over a variety of topics connected to General Ironwood, so he knew exactly what she meant and wasn't happy they would be bickering again, but he _was _satisfied his message had been heard by Beacon's youngest students and taken on board._

"_That! Back There! What you did to Sapphire!" she yelled, pointing at the door after every exclamation like people always seemed to do when indicating 'back there'. "That has to be the _worst _I've ever seen you!"_

"_I've had better days?" Krev was still elated and in the mood to really annoy Valery, hence the self-jibe._

"_Just shut up and tell me why you did that! Why did you practically beat him to death?!"_

"_Well I needed to prove a point," he sternly informed her._

"_You needed to prove a point? YOU NEEDED TO PROVE A POINT?! Are you insane?! What the Hell is wrong with you?!"_

"_What's wrong with me?" he asked with a mocking smile, but his grin was quickly replaced by a face of absolute fury. "What's wrong with you?!"_

"_Wha…" Valery breathed, dumbfounded._

_Krev could now feel the fire in the pit of his stomach burning like a raging inferno, incinerating all of his self-imposed barriers and allowing him to finally, after over a year of Valery's _crap_, crush her pathetic vision of the world – the illusion she, and so many others, chose to believe._

"_You, _Valery_, and the people like you just stand there like good-little-soldiers and defend this screwed up world, but you are too _blind _to see the truth and too _pathetic _to_ _even _try _asking yourself or those who rule a few questions. You just believe _everything _you are told, from the insignificant to the fundamental! Have you ever stopped and questioned something Ironwood has told you? Have you ever felt like something isn't quite right?"_

"_Don't make this about your parents, Krev!"_

"_I HAVE EVERY _RIGHT _TO MAKE THIS ABOUT THEM … but I'm not. I'm simply asking you to question something for a change."_

"_So what do you have in mind?" she asked defiantly._

_Well, she was at least asking a question, but it was the wrong sort of question and to the wrong person._

"_Think about the Grimm for a moment," he said like a wise old sage. "Just ask yourself: What are they? Why do we fight them?"_

"_Because they are the darkness and we are –" _

"_The light," Krev growled. "I know the speech Val, but what of the truth? Their propaganda laced oaths are designed to hide it, to stop people from seeking it, from wondering. But they have never stopped _me _from asking myself questions._

"_Where are they from? Why do they only possess a grievance with humans and Faunus, but not animals? Why disintegrate? Why are they attracted to negative emotions alone? What are they, really? But for all these questions there is simply one answer given by those in authority: _They _are evil and _we _are good, hence our conflict._

"_A little too plain and simple, don't you think?"_

"_But it's the truth."_

"_Nothing in life is black and white Val, and I believe such logic also applies to the Grimm."_

_She was stunned for a moment before talking again, his words actually affecting her._

"_Saying things like that could get you expelled … or worse."_

"_Look at what I did today," he chuckled. "Now _that _could get me expelled, but I honestly don't care anymore; I finally got through to sick individuals like you and at the very least planted a seed."_

"_Got through to? Planted a seed? Krev, if you believe the first years reacted the way they did because they were shocked, then you're partially right, but if you _genuinely _believe they reacted the way they did because a small part of them was actually paying attention to and buying your bull, then you're a fool! They were scared, Krev! _

"_They were _terrified_ of you!"_

_And that's when it happened … his dream was shattered. Krev _had _believed for a fleeting moment Beacon's first year students actually listened to him and that his message was within them, if not enough to destroy their indoctrination, but at least enough to act as a seed of doubt; a seed he would have watered and help flourish on the day he united Remnant._

_But Valery had been right. The reason why they had all looked upon him with shock or anger written across their faces was simply due to fear or hatred for him and his words._

_The Blood Angel indeed felt like a fool._

"_You said I'm sick," Valery snarled, "but look at yourself, Krev and the things you believe. You're the one who's sick!"_

Krev smirked to himself as he remembered the statement which led to hours of arguing, little sleep and short breaks filled with awkward silence … _You're the one who's sick!_

_No Valery, I'm not. You're just a fool, the only fool out of the both of us._

But her words still had a deleterious effect, because he now knew no matter what he did or what he said, no-one ever listened and would always repay him with rage or with loathing … and would always be hurt.

"What are you smiling about?" Valery demanded. "Thinking of new ways to torture Sapphire?"

"Are you done?!" Krev growled harshly, turning his head sharply to glare at her.

"Excuse me?!"

"Ur … guys?" said Silver, but the arguing pair ignored him.

"You've been droning on-and-on, calling me sick, insane and unstable for hours," the Blood Angel said in a bored tone to antagonise the mace wielder.

"Guys?"

"Frankly I'm surprised you haven't needed to pull out a dictionary," Krev continued, "or run along to Ironwood for a new word by now considering your _lack _of intelligence."

"Guys, we've got –"

"Why you condescending, little –" hissed Valery, but she was promptly interrupted by Amber.

"Guys!"

"WHAT?!" Krev and Valery screamed at her in unison.

"We've got four students heading our way," the orange-themed warrior said in a hushed tone, indicating something to their right – but Krev's left – with a tilt of the head.

Krev followed her hint and looked over to see four girls, all in school uniform, nearing his team. He immediately recognised the young girl leading the charge, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and the golden-haired girl from the amphitheatre, but he didn't recognise the girl who was actually next to the tall blonde considering her accessory.

_Is that a … bow?_

It wasn't unusual for a person to wear items in their hair, but the way she wore it was certainly interesting, unique even, and meant only one thing.

She was a Faunus.

_What are you hiding? Dog ears? Rabbit ears? But your feline features, especially those eyes, suggest cat ears._

Krev was no fool when it came to the Faunus, having gained plenty of experience with their kind in the past, therefore, he knew the position the girl was in and would not – no matter how much he despised deception – reveal her secret, or the fact he deduced the purpose of her bow for that matter.

Certain people killed to keep secrets, and he didn't know if she was one of them.

The young girl with the red cloak stopped a few feet away and was quickly joined by her friends.

"Hi, I'm Ruby," she cheerily exclaimed.

"I'm Weiss," the heiress said elegantly.

"Blake," the Faunus was straight to the point, he appreciated that.

"And I'm Yang," the blonde girl said with a beaming smile.

Silence fell for a moment as his team waited for him to respond, but Krev didn't move and just watched the four girls, studying them as they nervously stood there.

_Why are they even here? Don't they have lessons?_

The awkwardness was broken moments later when Amber spoke up and moved forward.

"Hi, I'm Amber," she said, taking one of Ruby's hands and engaging a handshake.

"Valery," said the mace wielder, raising a hand to show her presence.

"Silver," the final member of Team KAVS stated with a gesture akin to Valery's.

Before he knew it the newcomers began to speak with his team. Ruby spoke with Amber, Weiss spoke with Valery, and Blake and Yang spoke with Silver. None of the girls approached him, but he gave no physical or facial reaction that would have portrayed his sadness.

To them he was merely an observer who didn't care if they spoke to him or not.

"Hey," Ruby shouted happily. "Do you want a tour of Beacon?"

"Well we're supposed to be guarding the school," Amber told her politely.

"General's orders," interjected Valery.

"Yeah, I know, but wouldn't you be protecting us better if you hanged out with us?"

_That's some screwed up logic kid, but I like it._

"She does have a point," said Weiss.

Valery didn't look at all happy (which made Krev slightly happy), but then she gave a cold smile before speaking.

"Now who am I to argue with the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company? Ms. Schnee, will you be my guide?"

"I'd be happy to."

"What about you, Ruby?" Amber asked the young girl. "Will you be my tour guide?"

"You bet!" she seemed overjoyed by the prospect.

"Silver?" called Amber.

"Yeah?" he replied, interrupting his small talk with the other two girls.

"Did you catch all that?"

"Sure did," he said before looking at the two girls in front of him. "So who's going to be my guide? I'm hoping to have both of you lovely ladies all to myself."

"I'll show you around," answered Blake.

"Works for me."

"Great!" said Ruby. "We'll meet-up for lunch!"

Krev watched as the girls led his teammates away for their individual grand tours of Beacon Academy. For a moment he felt left out and abandoned, but then his eyes landed upon the gorgeous blonde, Yang, who was still there and smiled at him once she had watched Blake leave with … what? Was that sorrow in her eyes? Loss? Perhaps even love?

_Then _why _is she still here? I thought she would have gone with one of the others._

Although, he wasn't complaining. Yang was incredibly beautiful, yet, somehow, her already magnificent, flawless features were made even more extraordinary by her beaming smile and the long, golden locks cascading down her back. A lump formed in Krev's throat as his gaze followed the hair downwards, seeing that Yang possessed an incredible physique.

She was indeed a goddess among mortals.

"Hi, I'm Yang," she said happily, stepping forward and holding out a hand. "It-it rhymes with _bang_."

_Now why would she say something like that? Wait … is she nervous? Surely I should be the one who's nervous?_

But then he suddenly remembered yesterday and understood why. Yang was nervous because of his display and the speech he gave.

Krev was happy to see that not _every _student was too afraid to even speak with him as Valery had suggested, but he didn't portray his emotions for Yang to see.

"It-it's nice to meet you," she whispered in an embarrassed tone.

He would have liked nothing more than to have taken Yang's hand, greeted her and held a polite, friendly conversation, but then his cold, red eyes met her purple orbs and the decision was made.

It was said the eyes were a window unto the soul, and Yang's showed innocence, anger and sadness – a strange mixture which told Krev she was suffering.

_... and will always be hurt …_

Remembering what his actions did to those around him, Krev decided he would save Yang from even greater emotional pain by only inflicting a small amount.

"Inanely put," he said aggressively.

"Wha-what?" she breathed, lowering her hand.

"Inanely. It means immaturely, childishly, ridiculously, absurdly, unintelligently and, my personal favourite, stupidly."

Krev turned his attention back to the city, but watched Yang out of the corner of his eye, observing as she balled her hands into fists and the anger written across her face. For a split second he believed she was going to attack, yet she relaxed, letting her hands unclench as a long breath escaped her lips.

She remained there for a few more seconds, watching him in case of any reaction, in case he displayed any signs of guilt or sorrow. Krev, however, gave none even though those emotions were tarring him apart on the inside, so she turned on the spot and stormed away.

When he was confident she wouldn't see, Krev broke his hollow stare and watched her leave.

_No wonder they call me the Blood Angel._

* * *

The moment he stepped out into the amphitheatre to spar his opponent, Orion knew he didn't stand a chance. Amber was stronger than him, her weapon was superior to his after years of tinkering, and she was certainly faster than him thanks to her Semblance. She was also ruthless in combat, so Orion was not surprised by yesterday's result: _total _victory for Amber in less than five seconds.

Orion's loss wasn't helped by the fact he never liked fighting people either; always finding it difficult to get into the natural ebb-and-flow of a sparring match. He found it difficult because he believed, as a Huntsman-in-training, it was his responsibility to fight and kill Grimm, _not _compete against his fellow students.

_Huh, maybe Krev's getting to me. I doubt that though considering what I believe and what I'm doing right now…_

Krev believed in utterly-and-completely destroying an opponent, but only when absolutely necessary or to 'try proving a point' … and to exact vengeance on those who deserved it. He even applied this philosophy to the Grimm having decided long ago that if a Creature of Grimm left you alone, then you left them alone, even if they _were_ crawling around nearyour home. But everyone else rightfully believed, in Orion's opinion, that every-single-Grimm, near you or not, deserved painful destruction because of what they were – a plague upon Remnant.

As Orion twirled his kuna and chains around in a display of precision that would have put a Ribbon Weaver gold medallist to shame, he thought back to how he ended up at the docks slaughtering Grimm….

After Krev's _outrageous _display, Orion, Violet and Ash stayed in Beacon's medical facility to keep their leader company as he recovered. During this time the whole of Team NOVA studied the classified reports provided by Ironwood's soldiers to comprise a list of locations to investigate.

As anyone could deduce the reports discussed the shady parts of Vale and where horrendous crimes had been committed in painstaking detail to figure out where the Grimm might have been in the city.

It was obvious the Creatures of Grimm, _demons _attracted to animosity and all negative emotions, would call the less-than-friendly parts of Vale home, but why locations where crimes were committed in the past? Well, there was a theory they all – Orion, his teammates and KAVS – had heard from Professor Rajada almost over a year ago during one of Violet's check-ups … a theory many intellectuals held quite dear.

According to Rajada, the Creatures of Grimm weren't only attracted to negative emotions being projected in present time, but echoes of them as well. It was a crazy theory, however; if something which had transpired in the past was _so _terrible, _so _evil it was almost impossible for a sane person to imagine, it made sense such events left behind a strong enough echo for the Grimm to detect and be drawn towards. Rajada also stated that such an echo could be left in the wake of a human or Faunus who didn't just harbour malicious intent, but had a presence which emanated pure, soul corrupting malevolence.

Taking everything – theories and all – into account, NOVA started their investigation at 6.00am the next day at the site of the Breach. It was the most logical choice, but after spending over an hour searching ground zero and the surrounding area with the assistance of a few dozen Atlasian Knights, they found nothing, so they moved on to the next location on the list: the docks.

Thanks to Ironwood's new promotion he was able to give NOVA _very _classified files on Vale, including the file which documented Roman Torchwick's affiliation with the White Fang and the battle which took place on the docks several months ago. It was certainly an interesting and shocking read for the second year students as they learned about the events for the first time. But it was also enlightening, for it gave the first-hand accounts of a Beacon student called Blake Belladonna, a Faunus named Sun Wukong and another Beacon student named Ruby Rose, but individual lines of their accounts and entire sections of the report were covered in black ink.

The description of the battle from all three witnesses abruptly ended when Ruby Rose was knocked back by a shot from Torchwick, but for some reason details about enemy airships that were sliced cleanly in half and fished out of the river was left in the report.

Orion remembered his team discussing the report around Sapphire's hospital bed until they eventually concluded that whatever happened at the docks must have been something important and, for some reason, they all had a gut feeling it related to, or even involved, Ironwood's mystery student.

Sapphire had wanted to tell Krev everything they discovered within the report in order to discuss with his fellow leader the possible ramifications of a student being, or possessing a weapon, powerful enough the slice a Bullhead in half. It was probably the right move, but Sapphire was outvoted 3 -1 by his team because, after the Blood Angel's display of violence and his mistreatment of their leader, they didn't trust Krev's mental faculties anymore. Besides, the moment Sapphire recovered was the same moment they were ordered to leave for their first day of hunting in Vale, so he wouldn't have had the chance to tell Krev without Ironwood knowing anyway.

After learning about the docks, NOVA thought it to be as good-a place-as-any to check out because of the fight and the attempted crime.

What if an echo had been left behind?

Well it didn't take long for NOVA and their small army of androids to travel across the city in their Bullheads, and it certainly didn't take long for them to find their prey…

After landing and departing, the second years and their entourage searched the docks until coming across a massive warehouse – the same one which had acted as the backdrop to the fight several months ago. Therefore, they stopped their search, regrouped and Sapphire ordered a couple of Knights to open the monolithic doors with the rest covering the entrance.

They didn't expect to find anything, but what they found inside stunned them.

When the doors fully parted and the bright morning sun filled the warehouse, silence fell as the four students gazed upon a small army of Grimm comprised of almost every common variant. Beowolves, Ursi, Death Stalkers, Creeps and a couple of variants Orion had rarely seen all turned their attention towards the open entrance and leered at NOVA, but there was no battle cries, snarls or the sound of snapping pincers, only silence as both parties looked equally as confused.

It was kind of comical in its own way.

"Our luck can't be _that _bad," Orion had breathed, and that was all it took for all of the Grimm to unleash a bellow of rage and surge forward, creating a tidal wave of darkness.

"Back up! Move! Move!" Sapphire ordered.

The students turned on the spot and haphazardly ran from the entrance, weaving in and out of the firing Knights to find a better place to stand their ground. Once free from their accompanying androids, they stopped and looked back as chaos ensued, watching as Grimm hacked, slashed and tore the Atlasian Knights apart – the perfect distraction.

Team NOVA prepared. Sapphire drew _Jekla_ from the sheath on his back as _Jern_ _Swarm_ – the twelve, disk-shaped sentries – formed a protective halo above him; Orion flicked out his arms and his seemingly infinite chains pooled at his feet; Violet rooted herself to the ground and held up clenched fists; and Ashley transformed _Wolf's_ _Bane_ and took aim.

When the ground was lined with mechanical fragments, the Grimm leered at them once again before the two opposing sides charged….

Orion couldn't exactly recall how it happened, but somehow after the initial engagement they – Team NOVA – had separated and were fighting their own 'mini-wars' against the Grimm all over the docks. He wondered how the others were doing, but he was having too much fun to focus on that for too long.

Orion continued to rapidly spin his arms with the chains of _Boundless_ _Fire_ in his grip, resulting in the creation of an impenetrable metal dome. It was impenetrable because every time a Grimm, be them a Beowulf or Ursa, lunged at him, they would be sliced into pieces by the kuna-tipped chains.

Orion ceased his defence/offense when he saw no more of the demonic scourge in his immediate surroundings, but the fight wasn't over for him as indicated by a roar from behind. Orion recognised the Grimm immediately as a Sabre, an eight foot long Creature of Grimm which looked like a demonic big cat. It sported the typical bone spikes adorning its back and the mask shielding its face, but its distinctive features were its powerful legs and the pair of sharp, overly long canines which grew from its top set of teeth and ran down its jaw.

_I haven't killed a Sabre in a long time._

With that thought, Orion retracted a chain into its chamber, gave the roaring beast a sinister scowl and thrust out a splayed hand, causing the chain to launch. The kuna flew through the air and entered the Grimm's open mouth, silencing the creature with a sickening gurgle as the small blade broke through the back of the Sabre's head.

Orion knew the Sabre had died instantly, but he wasn't done with its slowly disintegrating corpse yet, therefore he tightened his grip upon the chain which connected him to the beast and activated his Semblance. A surge of energy raced down the chain and encompassed the body, engulfing the dead Grimm in raging flames, however; the Grimm was not on fire nor being incinerated, it was merely a visual side effect of his Semblance which signified when something had been effected by his power.

With the corpse 'alight' and the familiar clacking of an approaching Death Stalker several feet behind him, Orion twisted on the spot and dragged the dead Sabre through the air, swinging his arm in an arc to launch the Sabre off the chain and towards the massive Creature of Grimm. When the glowing carcass struck, the Death Stalker was instantaneously enveloped in flames as well, the collision spreading the fire.

A moment later they exploded, the two demons – both dead and alive – engulfed in a brilliant sphere of fire.

_I'll never understand you Krev, because killing Grimm isn't only necessary … it's also fun!_

* * *

The light which beamed through the monolithic windows made the empty hall appear larger somehow and strangely heavenly. It definitely looked and felt like a relaxing place for the students to eat their meals – an atmosphere Amber knew she would enjoy when the whole of Team KAVS finally had their first meal together as one big, dysfunctional family.

_Was there any other kind?_

Amber smiled, not from her own thought, but from Ruby jumping out of her seat to emphasise how fast she flew through the air when Ozpin launched them – the Beacon first years – into the Emerald Forest to start their initiation.

Ruby Rose, her guide for the day, was the most energetic and friendly person she had ever met; she was cheerful and really happy to share almost her entire life story with Amber over a cup of coffee in the dining hall. The word 'almost' was an important word with Ruby, for the young girl told Amber she grew-up with her sister, Yang, and raised by her father – a man who obviously loved his daughters from the little she had heard – on the island of Patch. She had also told Amber about her short time at Signal Academy and her early acceptance into Beacon…

"I went to Signal for a while, but then one night I fought this criminal and Professor Ozpin saw, so he offered me a chance to come here two years early," she had said enthusiastically. "I said 'yes', but of course you know that, otherwise I wouldn't be here talking to you, Amber Stone, oh I heard about you back at Signal!"

Ruby wasn't shy when it came to giving away the details she was willing to share, even telling Amber with no embarrassment why she wanted to talk to her – Ruby loved weapons and _really _admired her technical ability to construct _Burning Star_, which Amber understood because she really loved weapons too … a little too much according to her teammates.

Ruby was in the process of describing initiation (which sounded a lot like Amber's) and wasn't holding back on the content, but before, when she talkedabout her home life and getting into Beacon early, she had left out details. Ruby had neglected to mention anything about her mother or the criminal she fought.

Amber wasn't going to pry if Ruby didn't want to talk about it, but leaving out such details, especially anything relating to a mother, made the orange-themed Huntress-in-training curious.

"We then rode on the back of a Nevermore!"

Ruby's enthused statement snapped Amber's full attention back to reality.

"Wait, what?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, me and Weiss, we rode a Nevermore."

_Well I'll be damned…_

She was tempted to ask how they did it for future reference, but she knew there was more fun to be had simply imagining all the crazy shenanigans which led the first years to the point of riding a humungous Grimm.

Ruby Rose reminded Amber of her leader in a lot of ways, like there was something binding the two. It wasn't like the young girl had an Aura Resonance and she certainly didn't act like him – Krev was a complete depressive while Ruby was energy personified. It wasn't like the impossible to identify bond Krev shared with Sapphire either, but there _was _something.

Perhaps it was the fact Ruby, like Krev, harboured the potential to become a magnificent Hunter.

"I can't believe you rode a Nevermore," Amber said with an amused smile.

"If you thought that was crazy, then you won't believe what we did in here!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well me, Weiss, Blake and Yang had this massive food fight with JNPR – they're friend of ours – and wrecked the place … it was great! Tables and chairs were everywhere, we were covered in food and oh, oh Yang also went _through _the ceiling! I was worried when Weiss was unconscious though."

"Sounds exciting," said Amber. "But do me a favour Ruby and never tell Krev about this. Sadly my leader isn't like you and doesn't enjoy fighting no matter how fun it gets."

Ruby's entire demeanour changed at the mention of Krev. Amber watched the girl sorrowfully as her shoulders locked up, her lovely silver eyes were consumed in thought and she sat down opposite her.

_Why is she acting like this all of a sudden? Does she … does she fear Krev?_

Amber certainly wouldn't have blamed Ruby; she was young, inexperienced and naïve after all – a simple soul. Krev's revolutionary speech the previous day, the one which infuriated Valery and left Amber and Silver in a state of shock/outrage, would have terrified the cloak wearing teen no matter how much potential she possessed.

_Damn you Krev, you just _had _to go and scare a child!_

Seeing Ruby nervously wrap her petite hands around her coffee mug made Amber feel sorry for the girl. She decided to change the subject.

"So … tell me more about yourself, Ruby," she said as happily as she could to the younger girl. "What's your favourite class?"

_If she says Port's I'm walking away._

"N-No that's okay," Ruby replied nervously, staring at her mug. "I-I think I've talked about myself enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'd like to hear more about you anyway."

_Damn you Krev!_

"Well there's not much to tell," Amber began. "You already know I went to Signal and it's where I built _Burning Star_. I assume you also know I went here for a while before going to Ironwood's school in Atlas…. What?"

Ruby had looked up at that last part and was staring at Amber with bewildered eyes.

"You went to Beacon?" she finally asked.

"Yeah," replied Amber, confused by the question. "I thought you would have known."

"No."

"Oh … well now you do."

"What happened? Why did you leave?"

Amber thought about what to tell Ruby for a moment, trying to decide if she was going to inform the girl of the reasons behind her defection. She felt like it was her responsibility to be honest, but Ruby seemed confused enough by Krev's actions and didn't want to put ideas in her head either – Amber wasn't going to behave like her leader.

Therefore, she decided to lie.

"My parents had to move to Atlas, so I decided to go with them."

"Oh, okay."

Ruby played with a groove in the table, running her fingertip over the small imperfection until Amber spoke again.

"Now I think it's your turn again," she said in a gentle tone. "Tell me more about _you_, I'd like to hear more about your team. What's your name again?"

"RWBY," the young girl answered.

"Are you their leader?"

"Yeah."

"And what about the others? What are their names?"

Amber already knew the names from when Ruby had mentioned them in passing, but she wanted the cloaked girl to talk more freely.

"Well you already met my sister, Yang, she was the tall blonde girl, Blake was the girl with the black hair and Weiss was the girl with the white hair. I think you'll like Weiss – she's so smart and pretty and can be really funny and – "

"Wait, what?!" Amber found herself asking for the second time in one day, but this time she had almost choked on a sip of coffee.

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby, cocking her head cutely to one side.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just … stunned, that's all. Now, why would you describe your friend in that way?"

"In what way?"

"That singsong way."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

_Did she honestly not hear how happy she sounded describing Weiss Schnee?_

"Ruby, do you … like Weiss?"

"Yes, of course I do," she answered cheerily, missing what Amber was inferring.

"No, do you _like _Weiss?"

"Yes-of-course-I-do," the young leader said slowly for Amber to understand, as if she had misheard. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

_Is this girl playing dumb or is she completely oblivious?_

"No Ruby, listen to me. You described your friend as pretty, but in a really happy way."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed in a confused tone.

"You also didn't like when Weiss was unconscious during your food fight, even though you loved every other part of it."

"Yeah."

"So I'll ask you again: Do you, Ruby Rose, like-like Weiss Schnee?" Amber had made sure to slowly pronounce the 'likes' to emphasise their meaning.

There was a stunned silence which filled the air as Ruby's mind processed the question, and the second it was complete, the young girl gave her answer.

"What? No! Of course I don't like Weiss _that way_. We're friends, _partners_, but not _those _sort of partners! Oh God, is it hot in here?"

_Tell yourself whatever you want Ruby, but I know how you feel about the heiress and, may I say, or rather, _think_ … good taste little rose, good taste._

As Ruby blushed and looked away out of embarrassment, Amber took a victorious sip of her delicious beverage.

"Amber?"

"Umm."

"Would it be okay if I held your weapon?"

Amber knew her young friend was trying to move on to a different subject, but wanting to tease her a little before handing over _Burning Star _and she leaned forward and gestured for Ruby to do the same.

"Ruby, if I was a guy right now I would be extremely excited," she purred.

The cloaked leader turned away to attempt hiding her glowing blush, but Amber could see the effect of her words and allowed a flirtatious smile to play across her lips.

* * *

Violet might have secured herself a clumsy victory against Valery the previous day, but the purple bruiser was now in her element and fighting with style.

_Purple bruiser? Fighting with style? Where the Hell did I get the pun bug from?_

She pondered over this question for a moment as she brought her fist down and split open an Ursa's head, but Violet quickly refocused. She was surrounded by a number of young Ursi (still frigging huge, but young because of the noticeable lack of spikes covering their bodies and their heights), a few Sabres and many Creeps. Violet had spent the last few minutes – which can feel like an eternity in a fight – smashing in their skulls, but her remaining opponents were now circling her, waiting to strike.

_Why are they waiting? Are they looking for a weakness?_

Violet had never seen their weary behaviour before nor heard of such actions from Rajada, but here they were, supposedly mindless creatures thinking before attacking. It was fascinating to see and she would have thought about it more had it not been for the Grimm making their move, which was to move _together_.

She saw the beasts ahead of her and sensed those behind surge forward at once to overwhelm, but their tactic –

_Wait! Tactic?! The Grimm were tacticians now?_

Violet wanted to observe the demons and their new behaviour further, but it was time to act.

The purple-themed boxer transformed/interlocked the two halves of _Unyielding_ _Strength_, aimed at the ground between her parted feet and gave the mental command. The cannon fired and the recoil launched Violet into the air several feet above the Grimm, escaping their attack and allowing her to prepare her own. The creatures watched as Violet span in mid-flight, took aim and fired repeatedly, sending shell after shell back down to Remnant.

Death rained from the sky as Violet's attack ravaged her opposing Grimm.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Violet launched herself at a nearby Death Stalker, pulling back a fist to smash in its giant skull. It was to be a quick kill, but the Grimm must have wanted a slower death, for it pulled back its tail and struck. Seeing this sudden attack, Violet halted and held out her hands, catching the stinger and taking hold. The Death Stalker tried to wrench itself free, but her synthetic strength was too great, however; it was _technically _freed from her grasp when she ripped the stinger off its tail.

Violet smirked, enjoying the lovely sound of a shrieking Death Stalker before turning the stinger in her hands and throwing it at the beast so fast it might as well have been a bullet. The golden appendage burrowed itself into the Death Stalker's face, earning Violet an even louder, blood curdling scream of pain – not the sound of a dying Grimm.

In order to end its life, Violet pulled back her fist with a roar of anger and then threw a punch, striking the golden stinger and driving it through the rest of the way past the Death Stalker's face and down its entire body, the stinger shooting out of its backside a millisecond later.

Violet watched and smiled as the weaponised Grimm appendage flew across the docks and impaled an adult Beowulf that was looming over Ashley, _possibly _saving his life. She wasn't going to hang around for him to figure out what happened or fight his way through Grimm to thank her, so she promptly continued her search for Grimm she could kill up-close-and-personal.

* * *

When Weiss had woken up that morning she had expected an ordinary school day starting with Professor Port's class, but Thursday was turning out a lot differently than anticipated. Sure she wasn't on a mission fighting Grimm or a chainsaw wielding opponent, but sitting on a bench outside of the CCT next to Valery Svetlo was still interesting enough.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Valery said breathlessly.

Weiss looked at her companion for the day and saw she was staring at the CCT in awe.

"Haven't you seen the one in Atlas?" Weiss understood the appeal of allowing oneself to be taken away by the beauty of such a structure, but she never felt the need to like Valery or her leader.

The heiress smirked at the memory of Ruby's innocent excitement – enthusiasm which paled in comparison to the anticipation she displayed the previous day.

Weiss' smile suddenly turned into a grimace as she thought about yesterday, as her mind conjured those three little words…

_It's so gross._

Krev's speech funnily enough did not scare, enrage or depress Weiss; it simply didn't affect her like it did her teammates or her associates within Teams JNPR and SSSN. Although, she disliked how it frightened her leader. What really effected Weiss was her leader's reaction to Ashley's scar, causing her mind to constantly ask the same questions over-and-over again…

_Does Ruby see my scar like that? Does she find it repulsive?_

The idea upset Weiss like no other, yet she did not know, let alone begin to understand the reasons why. She shouldn't have cared what Ruby thought of her and what the young girl's reaction was to her own scar, but the idea of Ruby being disgusted with her imperfection scared Weiss, angered her … depressed her.

"I have seen it," uttered Valery, bringing Weiss back to reality. "But every time I see one of these towers I'm taken aback by the ingenuity and kindness of my kingdom."

"Wait, Pyrrha said you're originally from Mistral."

"Pyrrha?" Val asked excitedly. "Do you mean, Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yeah."

A bemused smile played across Valery's lips as she lowered her head.

"I'm flattered the Invincible Girl knows of me," she said. "Oh, right, yes. _Yes_, I was born and raised in Mistral but consider Atlas my home, and each day I strive to be like its amazing citizens."

Krev Melek might have been Yang's new obsession (Weiss had seen the eagerness to see him again in the blonde's eyes), but the heiress wanted to know more about Valery Svetlo to try and understand why she loved Atlas and General Ironwood _so much_.

"You mean people like General Ironwood, don't you?"

"Yes," she replied before expanding upon her answer. "He's a sublime military leader and a great man – the kind of person you want saving this world from the vermin, the criminals, who infest it. He's … he's a lot like your father in that regard."

Weiss was taken aback by Valery's statement, the shock evident in her blue orbs.

"D-Do you know him?" whispered the heiress. "Have you met my father?"

"I only know of him through reputation."

She had no idea where Valery was getting her opinions from because most people hated her father, but perhaps she had only spoken to those who might have met him in passing during a high-society dinner party or charity event – most likely someone who didn't know her father personally, worked for him or alongside him, and certainly not a member of the Schnee family.

Weiss stared at Val as the mace wielder turned on the bench and gave her a toothy grin.

"Ms. Schnee, I cannot put into words how humbled I am to be talking to _you_, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company! I expected this experience the least, but it is my greatest honour."

There was once a time when she expected and enjoyed such praise, but now, after spending several months surrounded by people who didn't care about things such as status and accepted her for being her, Valery's words shocked Weiss. It also told her everything she needed to know about the mace wielder.

Valery was one of those people who did not just blindly follow orders like an easily manipulated, foolishly loyal acolyte, but practically worshipped most, if not _all_, of those in authority as well. Weiss knew in that instant she would never entirely get along with Valery or anyone else like her for that matter, because despite having the title of 'heiress', despite how much her father tried indoctrinating her, Weiss Schnee had a rebellious side and she knew it.

"Please, call me Weiss," was all the heiress said as she desperately tried to hide her state of shock and distain.

"Oh, sorry, of course," Valery muttered nervously, turning away from her.

Weiss genuinely believed the awkward silence signified the end of their chat, but then Valery spoke again.

"Ms. Schn – Weiss, may I ask you a personal question?"

_She doesn't have to ask permission._

She would have told Val as much, but the mace wielder also appeared to be the type of person who would insist on keeping at least a small part of their conversation formal.

"You may," said Weiss.

"Why did you leave Atlas?"

"To become a Huntress."

"Please take no offense when I say I understand that part, but why not study under Ironwood's tutelage?"

_Because I was, and still am, running away from my father. I must grow and atone for _his _sins away from scathing, restricting eyes._

"Well let's just say things are a little tense between me and my father," Weiss said harshly.

Valery's mouth formed a large 'o' and silence took hold, allowing Weiss to think about the other reason why she had left the kingdom.

_I was also lonely in Atlas, a feeling which still lingers, but it's slowly starting to dissipate thanks to my associates … thanks to people like Ruby._

With Ruby on her mind yet again, the heiress decided to ask her own question.

"May I ask you for some advice?" she daintily enquired.

"I'd be happy to help, but why ask me?"

"It's not really something I can discuss with my teammates, well technically it is, but I would prefer not to."

"Then I'm all ears," said a concerned looking Valery.

"It's about my leader, Ruby," Weiss began, her voice shaky. "Yesterday when we saw Ashley's image come up on the screen, we also saw his scar."

"Yeah…" said the now confused mace wielder, her brow furrowing.

"Well when we saw the scar, Ruby said … Ruby said…"

"Weiss, what's wrong?"

The heiress took a deep breath, then answered.

"She said it was gross."

"Is that it?" Valery said, dumbfounded by the admission. "Look, if you're worried about your leader offending Ash at some point, then _don't_, Ash made peace with having that scar a long time ago and the way people –"

"No," interrupted Weiss. "It isn't about Ashley … it's about me."

"In what way?"

"I want to know if Ruby sees _my _scar like she sees Ashley's – if it repulses her or not."

"Oh … then ask her if it does."

"But she might not – "

"Weiss, I know we only just met but listen to me, she's your _leader_, so she'll talk about it," Valery advised before quietly adding beneath her breath, "I heard _good _leaders do that."

"Valery?"

"Yeah?"

"If he's okay talking about it … then can you tell me how Ashley got that scar anyway?"

Val gave her a reassuring smile, and then began her tale.

"Now that's…"

* * *

_Why do I always get Beowolves? Why the _Hell _do I _always _get Beowolves?!_

Ashley Claymore didn't know why, but every time he fought the demonic creatures he always – and he certainly meant always – got stuck with fighting Beowolves and Beowolves alone.

_Maybe they hate me because I'm more of a cat person? _Ash thought this as he decapitated a Beowulf with his cybernetic claw.

Ash effortlessly and majestically slashed away at his opposing Grimm, slicing them into pieces until only a tall Beowulf with jagged spikes protruding from its entire body stood before him. He could have leapt into the air and easily carved the beast in half on the way up, but Ashley's kill was suddenly stolen by a fast moving golden object impaling the Beowulf and sending it hurtling away.

_What was that?_

The cyborg was curious and would have investigated were it not for the snarls coming from behind.

_Time to look cool._

Ash turned on the spot to face the inbound Beowolves, transforming his weapon and taking aim at the same time. There were dozens of Grimm rushing towards him, but a heartbeat later they were _all _instantly incinerated by the amber-coloured beam which fired from _Wolf's_ _Bane_.

* * *

"…a short story," answered Silver, the corners of his lips drawn high in a beaming smile.

Blake sat opposite Silver Moon at a wooden table located in a particularly quite section of the library. It was just her and the silver-themed samurai, which was good because they had spent almost two hours talking about their favourite shows, films and, most importantly, books.

She was enjoying the casual conversation, but when Silver mentioned Ashley Claymore liked the spy thriller _All Is Seen_ as well, she decided to divert the natural flow of their discussion and ask about the cyborg's scar.

Blake knew it seemed really rather presumptuous of her, but she intended to use her companion's response to ask another question, one that had been bothering her ever since Weiss mentioned it the previous day.

"You see, I've known Ash for most of my life," continued Silver, "and we would have been on the same team had Ironwood not liked the idea of putting two 'cybernetically enhanced' people together on one team. Sorry for the air quotes, I was just mocking Ash's insistence to call himself and Violet 'enhanced' and 'advanced'. Anyway, where was I? Oh, that's right!

"I've known Ash since we were toddlers, so I got used to his arm and the yearly adjustments or refittings to accommodate his growth pretty damn fast, but what took me a while to get used to was all his scars…" Silver looked down to one side as his cheery tone turned solemn. "I know it sounds cliché, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember going to the hospital and being told by Ash that he snuck _outside _of the kingdom to test his skills and ended up fighting hordes of Beowolves."

"So that's how he got the scars," it was more of a statement from Blake than a question.

"Yeah, the moron let a few attacks get past his defences, but in the end he was able to kill over a hundred Beowolves singlehandedly at the age of twelve using his arm. Actually, that's why he named it _Wolf's_ _Bane_ when we started school. Believe me, it made a change from constantly hearing 'don't call it anything, I know you think it looks cool, which it is, but I got this arm because I was born without one made from flesh and bone, so it's a part of me – not a weapon.'"

Blake stared at him in shock having been taken aback by what he had told her about Ashley. But her shock was mainly stemming from the fact Silver had fought Ash _so_ viciously considering he knew of his friend's turmoil.

"I know what you're thinking," said Silver. "You're asking yourself how _I_, his friend, could have stomached fighting him the way I did. I understand your confusion and your possible disgust, but we are here to test ourselves to the absolute limit – it's why I'm here, it's why Ash is here and why _you_ are _here_, at Beacon Academy, Blake. Although, I say that, but I will never use _Eclipse _against him or anyone else for that matter."

_Bingo._

Blake had originally asked about the scar beneath Ash's eye to guide the conversation towards learning about Silver's secondary weapon and the reason he chose not to use it during yesterday's sparring match.

"I was wondering why you didn't use it," she said in her cool, elegant voice.

Deep in thought, Silver raised his gauntlet-clad arm off the table and stared at it, rotating his wrist and subsequently his forearm as he spoke.

"_Eclipse _doesn't fire any powerful energy beams or Dust rounds, but it's deadly and its size has the capability of making it unwieldable." His eyes locked on the rectangular piece adorning the top of his forearm. "I've rarely used _Eclipse _and during those times nothing bad _has _ever happened, but I still fear it and the potential harm it could inflict on those I love during the heat of battle."

"Then why do you wear it?" she asked gently.

"Because it's still a part of me, and I wear it as a constant reminder that if I am not careful in battle, I may harm the ones I love through callous actions." There felt like there was something he was hiding, but what was it? "It's my burden to bare, just like your bow – your burden being to constantly cover your ears."

Blake's eyes widened in shock, her breath wrenched from her lungs.

"How did you –?"

"How did I know?" he said dryly. "Well I suppose Krev's methodical nature is really starting to rub off on me."

"Wait, does that mean –?"

"Yeah, Krev would have figured out you're a…" Silver looked left and right to make sure no-one else was around "…that you're a Faunus the moment he saw you."

"When did _you_ 'figure it out'?"

"I'm embarrassed to admit it took me a lot longer, but it all clicked into place when I noticed how much your perfect bone structure and lovely eyes make you look like a sensuous feline."

Blake leaned back and chewed on her lower lip, blushing from his complement and the worry of being exposed by one of the second year students.

"You shouldn't worry you know," he told her. "I'm not going to say anything and Krev certainly won't tell another living soul. My leader, despite how he acts, is a nice guy and will understand why you don't want anyone to know."

She was inclined to believe him, but after Krev's display yesterday…

"How can I trust him?" Blake didn't trust anyone, human or Faunus, except for one particular blonde.

"Look, Krev has this stupid notion the four kingdoms are corrupt, the schools are brainwashing us, there's more to the Grimm than we're told, yada yada yada and that it's _his_ job to one day 'unite' Remnant and solve the world's supposed problems. Ultimately he's a man with a noble, albeit a misguided cause, so he isn't going to be seeking enemies, well … maybe one enemy."

"What do you mean by that?"

Silver opened his mouth as if to speak, but quickly closed it again. He was lost for words and trying to think of a reply that would satisfy her curiosity and didn't say too much either.

He was hiding something for his leader.

"You would need to ask Krev," he finally replied. "Even then, Blake, there's no guarantee he would tell you anything."

She thought of Yang's loving, sympathetic personality and the success she had getting through to her…

"If anyone can get him to say anything it's Yang."

Silver joyfully inhaled through his nostrils as he shifted in his seat, placing an elbow on the chair's back rest and his other arm upon the table to take up a relaxed, cocky demeanour.

"All alone with a beautiful girl, I perish the thought."

He winked at Blake, earning him an eye roll. Were it not for Silver's good looks, charming voice and dazzling smile she would have punched him in the face for his constant flirting and sleazy lines, but he got away with it … barely.

"Come on," she said, standing up from her seat.

"Where are we going?" Silver asked as he copied her action.

"I need to withdraw a few books for some light reading and then we'll head to the next stop in our tour."

"Which is?" he said with a beaming grin.

"Your dorm."

"Well now, I do like a girl who knows what she wants."

"It's just to see your book collection."

"I bet you say that to all the boys."

"Only the lucky ones," Blake said with a mischievous grin.

The Faunus walked away from the table and Silver followed.

She knew their flirting wouldn't lead to anything and rightfully so. She had only just properly met the young man and didn't know enough about him to form any attraction, but for some reason she was enjoying the exchange of Yang-like lines.

_Maybe I should actually do this with Yang the next she starts 'flirting' with me._

It was a fun idea, but the concept of what a flirting war with Yang Xiao Long could lead to both terrified and, for the split second, excited Blake … for she knew it wouldn't stop at flirting.

* * *

Sapphire swung _Jekla_ in swift, brutish arcs as he cut down the Grimm – big and small – which managed to evade his sentries and penetrate the constantly spiralling defensive sphere. The Blue Knight had long ago lost track of time and was starting to lose track on the number of Grimm he'd managed to kill using his signature technique, which usually required patience.

Today, however, the variety of Grimm surrounding him, blocking his view of the outside world and subsequently preventing Sapphire from seeing how his teammates were fairing against their onslaughts were throwing themselves at him. Beowolves, Ursi, Creeps, Sabres, Boarbatusks … five variants that didn't seem to understand if they came within ten feet, _Jern_ _Swarm_ would fire or, if they were lucky enough to get past the orbiting disks, Sapphire would slice them in two with a sudden, powerful strike.

But who knew, perhaps they did realise and were simply hoping to exploit a fault in his technique. Perhaps they knew the longer Sapphire fought and used his secondary weapon the more his Aura and the Dust powering _Jern_ _Swarm_ would slowly deplete.

_Is that it? Are they trying to overwhelm me?_

Sapphire had to admit their plan, if it really was their plan, was a good one for mindless creatures, but it didn't matter after a few more minutes passed by.

The Blue Knight watched as the last Beowulf was shot through the chest, three Creeps were decapitated and a rolling Boarbatusk was stopped in its tracks by the simultaneous firing of five sentries, signalling the end of his battle … or at least that's what he thought.

Before he had the chance to refocus his mind after what could have been several hours of sustained pandemonium and check on his team, Sapphire heard powerful feet slamming against the concrete ground.

The leader of NOVA looked to his right and saw a fifteen foot tall Ursa _sprinting _towards him, its teeth bared and nose drawn high into a bloody thirsty snarl. It roared when Sapphire met its gaze, emitting a bellow of rage which shook the earth itself.

Reacting quickly the Blue Knight waved his hand from left to right, instructing _Jern_ _Swarm_ to form a ring before him. Using the same hand, Sapphire pushed out an open palm and twelve beams of blue energy fired at once.

It should have been an attack which instantly killed the Creature of Grimm, but the monolithic Ursa shielded itself, raising both of its arms. The beams struck a single spot on the monster's bone covered forearms, but this didn't even slow it down and _Jern_ _Swarm_'s safety protocols cut the firing sequence just as the Ursa was upon him.

Sapphire's eyes widened as a massive fist came through the ring and struck him in the chest. The force of the punch sent the Blue Knight sprawling through the air like a rag doll until his back made contact with one of the two parked Bullheads, the impact denting the airship's hull as it teetered for a moment before pitching back into position and throwing Sapphire to the ground.

"OW," Sapphire moaned as he got off his hands and knees to glare at the giant Ursa charging towards him once more, its powerful legs allowing the Grimm to cover just over a quarter of the fifty feet distance between them in less than a second.

Sapphire needed to pin the Ursa down long enough to chop off its head, but it was going to take something heaving to pin the beast down, something like a … like a Bullhead.

Remembering there was an empty ship right behind him, Sapphire maintained eye contact with the Ursa as he swung _Jekla_, cutting the entire aircraft in two before splaying open his other hand in front of him. Threads of converted Aura travelled behind Sapphire and coated the two halves, which the Blue Knight sensed, indicating it was time to strike.

He pushed out his open palm and the two halves launched, one immediately following the other as they hurtled past Sapphire and barrelled towards their target.

The Ursa effortlessly batted away one half and it – the Bullhead's rear section – exploded upon hitting the ground due to the engines. No matter, the first half was merely a decoy, therefore, with its arm thrown to one side, the second half successfully struck the hulking Ursa.

Sapphire watched with great satisfaction as the entanglement of flesh and metal ricocheted off across the docks several times before coming to a complete stop a couple of hundred of feet away.

_Now's my chance._

With an incredible amount of strength Sapphire didn't even know he possessed, he leapt forward, launching himself seventy feet into the air with _Jekla_'s hilt in both hands and the blade dragging behind him. It was a new experience and exhilarating for the Blue Knight, but it didn't last long.

He came back to Remnant with his own bellow of rage and struck as his feet touched the ground next to the incapacitated Ursa, bringing his broadsword down in a mighty attack which decapitated the beast.

Sapphire didn't move and stared at the ground as he panted, drawing deep breathes after such an excursion.

_How was I able to jump that high?_

It was something the Blue Knight had never done before and he wanted answers, but that quest would have to wait…

The leader Team NOVA heard applause, but it wasn't like the frantic cheering which filled the amphitheatre the previous day. It was slow, gentle, as if someone was mocking him.

"Impressive display my child," spoke a deep, cold, elegant voice which uttered every word with meticulous diction, chilling Sapphire to the bone.

The second year student gently turned on the spot and straightened his stance the instant his eyes saw what stood merely ten feet away – an elderly gentleman in a pure white suit.

"How long have you been standing there, sir?"

The elderly gentleman ceased his applause and gave him a wicked smile, baring yellow teeth.

"Long enough," he breathed his reply.

Despite the stranger's demeanour and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding him, Sapphire felt no fear, only concern for the man's safety.

"Sir, do you need any help?" Sapphire asked in a gentle tone, holding out an open hand as if he were talking to an animal that could run away at any moment … or attack at any moment, he really couldn't tell which. "Are you hurt?"

The reasoning behind his question was simple: If the man had been near the fighting long enough, then he could have been injured and not even know it; a rogue shard of metal from the Bullhead colliding with the Ursa could have even impaled him!

"Not particularly," the elderly gentleman answered with a dismissive wave of a hand.

"So you _are_ hurt," said the Blue Knight with concern in his voice. "Okay, stay here and I'll go hail an airship to take you to the nearest medical facility." Sapphire took a single step back, his foot instantly engulfed by streams of black smoke rising from the decomposing Ursa. "Don't worry sir, everything's going to be fine."

"Actually, my child, there is something you could do right now that would immediately help," the old man said gently, but Sapphire was immobilised by the light growl in his voice. "Good, but in order to fully understand you will need to listen to a rather long tale. Are you willing to listen?"

Sapphire looked over his shoulder to check on his team, and saw Orion gleefully detonating Grimm, Violet tearing a Sabre in half and Ashley fighting a small pack of Beowolves. Satisfied his friends could handle the last few Grimm infesting the docks, NOVA's leader redirected his gaze and cast his full attention upon the well-dressed man.

"Yes," Sapphire nodded. "I will listen."

And with that response, the elderly gentleman gave a sinister grin as nothing short of lust consumed his piercing, malevolent eyes.


	9. Ch8: Reconciliation

**Chapter 8: Reconciliation**

"Are you insane?!"

It had been several hours since he scared Yang away for her own good, and within that time Krev patrolled the school.

While his associates spent the day with members of a first year team, the Blood Angel had decided to follow orders – Team KAVS' _true _orders – to the letter. This decision, however, did not stem from a sudden, undying loyalty to Ironwood or yearning to protect, but a desperate, almost primal need to save himself from oblivion; to stop the guilt he faced or his current predicament from tarring him apart.

Easier said than done, as the old saying goes….

He, Krev Melek, was the most feared and hated person walking the halls of Beacon Academy – his current predicament. This was evident from the disdainful and unsurprisingly familiar looks he received whenever he passed a student or a professor.

Monitoring landing pads and wondering school grounds should have acted as a good distraction from the looks which reminded Krev of his isolation, but sadly it failed and how he felt certainly wasn't helped by seeing Valery – Ironwood's pet – and Weiss Schnee – heiress to corruption itself – talking outside of Beacon's CCT.

From that point forward he spent every minute, no, every _second_ of that day analysing his actions over the last two days, his teammates, and the students who believed Remnant, the world they lived in, the world they were training to protect was right.

They all believed it was a world worth fighting for, it was anything but.

Krev's attention shifted once more that day though, when he decided to retrieve his dinner early to avoid everyone. It _was_ a good plan, but the dining hall staff refused to serve him before the scheduled meal despite already having the food prepared and his insistence to carry out another patrol. This irritated him, but he knew there was no point in arguing with stubborn chiefs, so Krev waited near the canteen for half an hour.

The main dinner that day had been a fillet of salmon served in a light ginger sauce with herbed potatoes and green beans – his favourite, although he loved any fish meal. Enthused, he promptly grabbed his food and opted for a seat situated in the loneliest corner of the extravagant hall.

Strangely enough, eating proved to be a good distraction from everything because he was hungry, including from the derisory glares and fearful glances he received as people entered the hall. No-one, of course, chose to sit next to him, but he didn't particularly mind.

The respite ended the second he finished his meal however, when he spotted a girl wearing a red cloak, Schnee and the Faunus together in the queue on the other end of the dining hall. Yang – the cheery, friendly girl he insulted – wasn't with them nor in the line, so he would have taken the time to study the other three girls' expressions and their body language to identify how Yang was doing, but Krev couldn't bear the thought of one of the girls spotting him and wishing to 'discuss' his actions and/or Yang suddenly turning up and wanting to … well, 'discuss' to his previous behaviour.

With this fear in mind, Krev promptly picked up his tray, disposed of it and subtly left the dining hall like a spectre to continue his cycle of self-loathing and hatred.

It was now 7:00pm, so after ten hours of consistent security duty, cynicism and guilt, all he wanted was to rest in his new dorm, but the moment Krev walked inside he was immediately faced with two nervous teammates and a furious Valery.

"What is it now?" he asked in an aggressive, bored tone. "Did I _inhale _wrong or something?"

"You know exactly what you did," Valery growled back.

"And that was?"

"You asshole!" she yelled. "I got a message from Weiss saying her teammate, Yang, is upset!"

"Is … is she crying?" he asked fearfully.

"How could you even say that to her?!"

"Answer the question!" Krev demanded, his voice venomous.

"No," she replied calmly, but her face was a mask of fury. "No, she's not crying … but she _is_ distraught!"

"I wouldn't have caused that," he said coolly, deep in thought. "She barely knows me."

"You underestimate your effect on people," interjected Amber.

"But I _do _understand, that's why I scared her away!" He exclaimed, then gently added, "It was for her own good."

"What kind of bull is that?" said Valery, her swift resurgence into the conversation drawing everyone's attention to her. "If you 'understand' your effect on people, then why didn't you just talk to her and at least _try _to act like a normal human being? No, you got a kick out of hurting her, didn't you? _You_, the brutal, _vicious_ Blood Angel _always _get a kick out of hurting people … just like when you hurt Sapphire!"

"Okay, now I think that's enough," Silver said angrily, his remark aimed at Valery.

"NO!" she roared. "Krev is a sick, twisted bastard who needs to be in a straightjacket – not leading a team, not leading us! Don't you see it Silver? Krev is a psychotic crusader who will _only_ leave us as emotional wrecks someday, or worst … we'll _die _because of _him_!"

They looked at Krev with different expressions; Valery's was that of triumph while Amber and Silver studied him with fear in their eyes, fear which escalated the moment they saw the way he glared at the mace wielder.

Krev looked as if were about to pull out _Crimson Force _and annihilate Valery, but his tensed shoulders suddenly relaxed, his fists unclenched and he turned on the spot to head for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Silver, his voice as quiet and innocent as a small child's.

"She'll never understand," Krev replied, halting for a moment. "None of you will ever understand."

"What do you mean?"

_My actions, my words and what I believe in – you will never understand and will forever treat me as a crazy, misguided fool. _This was what Krev wanted to say, but he wasn't in the mood to speak with his associates for the time being.

"I need some time on my own," he said instead.

"Well if you're heading out, don't forget –"

"I know, I know," breathed Krev, interrupting Amber. "I have it."

"Good, we'll make sure to get there as fast as we can if anything happens."

_I won't hold my breath._

There was silence for a moment before he spoke, breaking the smothering quiet.

"Don't wait up for me."

Krev walked out of the room without even glancing at Valery and closed the door behind him, readying himself to spend many more hours alone.

* * *

"You shouldn't let yourself get upset over this guy," Ruby said gently, her left arm hugging Yang's shoulders. "We all know how much you want to talk to him, but he's just a big meany sis and doesn't deserve your attention."

Weiss stood next to Blake as they watched the sisters interact, Ruby comforting Yang as they sat on the edge of Blake's bed.

"I know he was nasty, but there's more to him than we've seen," Yang replied desperately, then her voice turned quiet and distant. "Besides … this isn't just about him."

Ruby withdrew from her sister and turned her attention away from Yang. Weiss had to admit it was kind of cute, yet very disconcerting to see the sisters sitting next to each other in the exact same way: knees together and hands in their laps as they stared at the floor in thought.

"You're thinking about that woman aren't you, the one from the train?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you were hung up over Krev?"

"I still am, but after today … after he shot me down I can't stop thinking about her." It was strange to hear Yang being so open about things and Ruby to be thinking so deeply about a situation.

Ruby sighed, "She could have an ulterior motive, you know? Have you asked yourself at least _once_ if what happened on the train was all an elaborate rouse to gain your trust?"

"What makes you think I trust her?"

"Oh come on, Yang!" said an agitated Ruby, turning her head to glare at her sister with frustrated silver eyes. "I know how you think and it's not possible."

"But it could be _her_," Yang said wearily with a hint of excitement in her voice, turning to meet Ruby's gaze. "It could even be Summer!"

_Summer? _thought Weiss. _Who the Hell is Summer?_

The heiress had no clue what they were talking about now, and before she could glance at Blake to see if she knew the conversation took a dark turn.

"IT'S NOT GOING TO BE MOM!" screamed Ruby, standing from the bed to bore her eyes into Yang from above.

Ruby's outburst left her teammates stunned, except Yang, for the blonde only looked upon her sister with sorrow.

"And it's not going to be _your _mom, Yang," the cloaked girl continued through gritted teeth. "It's not possible."

"But it could be her, Ru –"

"No, don't even say it or form any _stupid _ideas."

"What are you saying?" Yang looked like she'd been slapped around the face.

"Don't you remember when we were kids? Don't you remember almost getting us killed? Don't you remember the club? Every time you think you have a lead you do something brash, something that could get yourself or those around you killed. But maybe that's what you want."

"Ruby, please…"

"Do you want your actions to get you killed?" Ruby asked harshly. "Do you WANT THIS WOMAN TO KILL YOUR FRIENDS?!"

Weiss and Blake continued to stare at the scene in shock as Ruby panted, her shoulders drawn high while Yang looked at her baby sister with heartbroken eyes.

"I … I need to think," Yang said meekly.

The usually overjoyed girl got off the bed and quickly walked to the door with Ruby snapping at her heels.

"Oh that's fine, just run away," the cloaked girl said sarcastically as Yang opened the door. Even with her sister practically running out of the room, Ruby still stood in the doorframe and yelled after the saddened blonde. "But don't say I didn't warn you!" she cried in absolute fury. "DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"

Ruby stood there for a few more seconds, her chest rapidly rising and falling as she glared at her departing sister. Silence then gripped the room as she walked to her desk and grabbed her bag.

"I'm going to the library to do some work," she told them without even a glance, then left the room and headed in the opposite direction to Yang.

Weiss knew she should have been more concerned about Yang, but she found herself worrying about Ruby. She had never seen her leader that angry and she certainly hadn't heard Ruby use such vocabulary before. Finding herself – for the lack of a better term – 'attracted' to the maturity and darkness she just saw in Ruby, the heiress sprinted after her leader, leaving a bewildered Blake behind in their dorm.

It didn't take long for Weiss to catch up with Ruby, and when she did the heiress placed a light hand on the caped girl's shoulder to get her attention. She probably should have called out to her, but Weiss was feeling nervous about speaking to Ruby for the first time since they first met.

"WHAT?!" snapped Ruby as she turned around, her outburst causing Weiss to swiftly withdraw her hand.

"Ruby, I ur … I was wondering if you wanted to talk," the heiress uttered daintily, her leader's stern glare a strange mixture of disarming, nerve racking and attractive.

_Why do I keep thinking I'm attracted to Ruby? I don't find her attractive. Although, I am finding myself drawn to this side of her._

"Not really," her leader replied sternly, her tone matching her gaze.

"Well, do you mind if I just join you then?"

"Sure," Ruby shrugged, disinterested.

Weiss gave her a shy smile and they began their journey to Beacon's library.

* * *

Blake sat down on her bed as she watched Weiss chase after Ruby, a look of confusion and shock plastered across her face.

_What just happened?_

The Faunus had never seen Ruby act so aggressive before, especially to her sister. Blake didn't know her leader even possessed an aggressive side, but it made sense. She knew a part of Yang's past and the way it affected her, now she knew how it affected Ruby while Weiss was still in the dark about the whole situation.

For a fleeting moment Blake thought how strange it was for Ruby to have not opened up about such a matter with her partner, but then Blake's mind became filled with a powerful urge to inflict pain and comfort …

Blake wanted to punch her leader in the face for the way she hurt her sister. But most of all she wanted to chase after Yang and comfort her, to tell her it would all be all right.

_I could easily find Yang and throw my arms around her, like she did for me recently … but where would that leave us?_

Blake looked down and realised she had chosen to sit exactly where her partner had been only a few moments ago, so perhaps it was for the best she left Yang alone in case she desired a more … _intense _form of comfort…

Because she knew, if given the chance, she would have more than happily obliged.

* * *

_They are the darkness and _we_ are the light…_

Krev mentally recited the infamous mantra as he stared at Beacon's memorial statue, his eyes scrutinising the idealised vision of Hunters before his gaze fell upon the Beowulf below.

"You are indeed an impressive piece of artwork," he told the statue, his arms folded beneath his chest. "Nonetheless, you are still a symbol of our twisted society I'm afraid. A shame really, I would have liked to have shaken the hand of your sculptor."

Despite what his associates liked to say he wasn't a fool, or misguided, and he certainly wasn't insane, just … different to them. He was also lonely, hence his only company being a statue.

He sighed, disappointed and saddened by the knowledge they didn't understand this, or anything else about him for that matter, by now. But it was feasible, in relation to understanding his pain, they – Valery, Amber, Silver and the whole of NOVA – foolishly believed enough time had passed.

Perhaps they believed he should have adapted to his loss by now, which was a difficult task when you have lost everyone…

A difficult task, when you live in a corrupted world you despise.

Krev suddenly heard the presence of another close by, their footwear – possibly boots – striking the stone ground. Startled, the Blood Angel looked to his right to see a girl with long, blonde hair coming into view. He wasn't entirely sure of the mystery girl's identity because she hung her head low as she slowly walked around the corner of the statue, causing her golden locks to obscure her face. But knowing how his luck – or rather his lack of it – liked to remind him of every mistake he had ever made, Krev suspected she could only have been one person.

As if sensing his presence the girl stopped and looked up, her stunning purple eyes locking with his crimson gaze. He and the blonde then stared at each other, neither of them knowing what to do. Yang, the gorgeous first year he had insulted, portrayed only surprise while he, on the other hand, looked more than a little amazed.

Krev wasn't the type to ogle a woman and he wasn't at that very moment either, but he was finding it difficult not to because she was wearing clothing - conceivably combat gear – which left very little to the imagination.

With his eyes wide and his heart racing, Krev asked himself an important question.

_What do I do now?_

The Blood Angel had seen her within the amphitheatre yesterday and upset her many hours ago. On both occasions he had shown the girl two unpleasant sides of his personality, so he wished to atone, but he was scared. Krev was afraid of her reaction, if she would lash out with hurtful words, retaliate physically, cry or simply walk away from distain. Therefore, deciding he did not want to offend or hurt her again, and to save himself from any more pain, Krev turned on the spot and began to leave.

"Wait!" stated the girl, her tone laced with sadness.

Krev stopped and looked over his shoulder to speak.

"If I'm only waiting for you to attack me, then there's really no point is there? Besides…" he took his sideways gaze off her "…I'm in no mood to talk." And with that, he started to walk away again.

"'Try'?"

The Blood Angel halted and turned to face her, confusion etched into his features.

"You make it sound like I would fail," Yang added with a cheeky grin.

For a moment he believed her comment to be a threat, then he realised she was merely trying to lessen the tension. But why? After yesterday's display and his insult, why was she still _so _eager to speak with him? Again, he didn't particularly mind, he just found the situation confusing.

"Why are you speaking to me?" he breathed the question, puzzlement creeping into his tone.

"You looked lonely," she answered timidly, giving him a shy smile, "like you need someone to talk to."

"And I suppose you don't?" Krev said coldly. "Wondering school grounds this late at night, _alone_, are hardly the actions of someone with caring friends and a loving family. Believe me, I know."

There was silence as Krev scowled at her, still hoping to scare Yang away before he did – or most likely said – something that would further harm the nervous looking girl. The first year, however, was apparently determined to continue their conversation.

"Why do you act like this?" she asked hesitantly, as if those six little words comprised one of the most important enquiries she would ever make.

"Whatever do you mean?" he shrugged, a coy smile playing on his lips.

Krev knew _exactly _what she meant, but he was trying to make this difficult for Yang to, at the very least, annoy her – a poor attempt to drive her away.

"_This_, right now, the attitude," she clarified. "I mean, the way you're acting … it's like you could be Weiss and Blake's love child." The description seemed to give her shudders. "Sorry, those names probably mean nothing to you do they?"

"Well you would have to be a fool not to know who Weiss Schnee is, and as for the other, I heard about Blake from an associate of mine." He chuckle sarcastically, then continued. "Apparently she and Silver had a 'lovely' time together. I _sadly_ know of this from the messages I kept receiving throughout the day from Silver. He seemed positively _overjoyed_ to have met a 'sexy girl' who also likes books." Krev paused as he pictured his silver-themed teammate kneeling next to the Faunus by the bookcase in their new dorm.

Silver would have worn an uncontrollable goofy, over enthused grin across his face as he hammered out messages on his Scroll, taking advantage of the times when Blake was too distracted to pay him any attention to share his enthusiasm with the rest of Team KAVS. The Blood Angel smirked as he thought about Blake, the poor girl oblivious to his associate's actions as she picked up one of the books Silver had managed to originally smuggle on board their transport (as only Silver could), studied it, then placed it on a shelf before moving on to the next.

"I apologise for using Silver's vernacular," Krev added aggressively, his anger aimed towards the aforemented team member. "But I was quoting the horny bastard."

Yang didn't respond and instead looked to one side as sadness demonstrably took hold. Was she saddened by the status of their conversation or about Silver and Blake? He suspected it was the latter.

"You obviously came here to be left alone with your thoughts," Krev told her wearily, disappointed by the outcome of their chat, "so I'll be taking my leave."

The Blood Angel turned and took a few steps forward, almost leaving the immediate vicinity of the statue before Yang spoke again.

"Did you lose someone?"

He froze, feeling his eyes widening, his breathe being wrenched from his lungs, and the sound of his pounding heart thumping within his skull.

Krev wasn't frightened by Yang's question, merely stunned. He was also curious, for he detected sorrow and a hint of something else in her tone.

_Was that empathy?_ _Does _she_ understand the pain of loss?_

Wanting to know how the blonde understood the effects of loss, Krev slowly turned around and looked her straight in the eye, giving her a stern glare which told Yang he was listening and going nowhere.

"I understand … I've lost people too." Yang exhaled, readying herself to share a story which agonised her soul. When she continued, her interesting, sultry voice was no longer filled with hesitance or fear, only defeat. It made Krev's heart ache to see a girl so beautiful affected by such emotions.

"Do you know Patch?" she asked him.

"I do," Krev answered gently, giving her a small nod.

"Well I and my little sister grew up there with our parents. My parents were Hunters, but my dad was a teacher at Signal while my mom accepted missions all over the kingdom. Her name was Summer Rose and she was like … super mom, a slayer of giant monsters and baker of cookies. But, one day, she left for a mission and never came home…"

"Yang, I –" he wasn't going to express his sympathy, for the words 'I'm sorry for your loss' never helped to dull the pain of loss, it was merely a statement uttered by those who did not truly understand and felt obligated to say _something_. The Blood Angel was instead going to confess his feelings of inadequacy, because he felt unworthy to hear her story after the way he treated her, but before he could even begin to speak, Yang interrupted him by continuing the heart-breaking tale.

"My sister was too young at the time to really understand what was going on, but my dad was heartbroken. I got it, you know, despite my age. He loved Summer, still does I think, but there was more to his pain than I knew.

"I discovered though, just after her … passing, that Summer wasn't the first lover he'd lost – she was the second. The first … was my mom; she left me with dad shortly after I was born."

"So you've lost two mothers," Krev said to himself to comprehend such loss, his voice grabbing Yang's attention. "One to death and the other abandoned you."

"I suppose," she said hopelessly, and even Yang's striking features were dulled by grief.

"I, like so many others, believe beauty should not be tarnished by sadness," he said gently, but with a timbre to his voice.

"Oh, umm … thank you."

There was silence as Krev studied the girl, his eyes scrutinising every inch of her beauty as she blushed from his complement.

He wanted to say something, _anything_, to help Yang through her pain, but what was he supposed to say? Was he simply meant to fall back on 'I'm sorry for your loss'? It _was_ social convention despite how much he loathed the platitude, but it just didn't seem enough! But perhaps that was the point … there was absolutely nothing he could say to help her through the pain of not only losing one, but _two_ mothers.

As the Blood Angel looked into her stunning eyes, he realised there was only one thing he could do to repay Yang for her openness. Besides … perhaps telling her, a person who was willing to listen and sympathise, about his past would prove therapeutic.

"Yang?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to go on a walk with me?" he asked daintily.

She gave him a content smile, "I'd like that, Krev."

He returned the gesture and they started to walk, slowly heading away from the statue and towards the landing pads. There was silence for a moment as Yang aligned herself to walk on his left side, and even though he was tempted, Krev did not simply stare at her as she carried out this task. Instead he made sure to look forward, into the distance, at the city of Vale illuminated by the artificial lights which filtered out of the buildings.

When he felt Yang's presence only a couple of feet away and her wide, purple orbs staring up at him due to their minuscule height difference, Krev began his tale, ensuring to speak in a friendly tone despite how much his past angered and made his heart ache.

"Have you ever heard of the Wanderers?" he asked, placing his arms behind his back to pace more casually.

"Yeah, they're a tribe which chooses to live outside of the kingdoms."

"I'm surprised Yang, I didn't expect you to know who they were."

"Blake told me the basics," Yang explained. "She was raised outside of the kingdoms, so she heard about them once."

"Now that's interesting."

"How?" He was glad to hear Yang using, what he assumed was, her normal voice for two reasons. One, it denoted she was beginning to feel better, and two, she possessed a voice with an interesting quality which conveyed strength and kindness.

Krev looked at Yang and their eyes met, a friendly smile adorning his lips.

"Because I was a Wanderer," he replied. "I was born into the tribe and raised by each and every one of its members, but mainly by my parents of course." Krev's smile faded as he remembered his parents, looking away from Yang to stare at the ground as images of his mother and father flashed through his mind. "They were good people Yang. They were kind, honest, loving people."

"Krev … you're using a lot of past tense."

He didn't respond, opting to tell his story in full for her to understand.

"There are so many misconceptions of tribal life - people believe it was difficult, that we lived in tents, relied on campfires for heat alone and existed without power … but it was nothing like that. We had access to magnificent technologies, _advanced_ technologies some might say, and we lived in homes, powered by Dust, that we would build from scratch every time we decided to stay somewhere for a while – like contrasting a small town every time.

"We were a group of experienced, powerful fighters as well Yang, so no matter where we travelled, no matter what we did, we were able to bountifully live off the land as well as defeat whatever or … whoever threatened us, our homes and our way of life! It was a good existence, one surrounded by those who loved me … those who believed everything I believe."

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Having reached the point between the archways, Krev folded his arms beneath his chest and leaned against a nearby poll. Yang stood next to him, her eyes transfixed on the Blood Angel as he gazed out onto the city framed by the pathway to the landing pad.

"When I was fifteen," he said coldly, "my parents gave me _Crimson Force_ – my weapon – and told me we were on our way to Atlas for me to enrol in a combat school. As you may have guessed I was furious because I did not want to leave, but my mother explained. She told me I was the most powerful Wanderer to have ever existed, and with such power I had the potential to become something more than a nomad … I could become a hero, a _symbol_ and finally change the world." He chuckled lightly before continuing. "'I will unite Remnant', those were the words which cascaded through my mind, convincing me to leave the tribe and begin my years of training. Huh, despite how I feel about this world, about this society, I really _did_ enjoy student life once. But as the old saying goes, all good things…"

"…must come to an end," said Yang, finishing the axiom.

They shared a smile to acknowledge each other's pain and understanding.

"Krev, who did you lose?"

The Blood Angel looked directly into Yang's eyes and replied, choosing to witness the sympathetic glint that would shine in her gorgeous orbs.

"Everyone," he said miserably, Yang's eyes widening in disbelief. "After a few months attending the academy I was told, by the General himself no less, that my entire tribe – my _family_ – were dead."

"Oh god," Yang breathed. "What happened to them?"

"Someone, or _something_, killed them _all_ … including my parents."

"Krev, I –"

"If you are about to … _apologise_ for my loss, then don't, those words mean nothing to me. Your empathy, however…" Krev gave her an earnest smile "…means everything."

"I wasn't going to," said Yang, "I get it, those words, 'I'm sorry for your loss', don't really help the person who's grieving, only the person saying them. No, I was going to say I will never understand your pain … you lost your entire family." She looked away from him, as if embarrassed to have originally told him about her past. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through right now."

"'_Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or form of measurement. And all of it … irreplaceable._'"

"Wow," she breathed, giving him a relaxed smile.

"Well don't be too impressed with my literary skills," he said amusedly. "I heard it from somewhere once."

"What do you think it means?" asked Yang, her curiosity evident.

"I believe it should interoperated by those who hear it, so I like to think it's saying many things, one of which being not to even _try_ comparing loss." Krev exhaled and lowered his gaze, preparing himself to speak the truth. "Yang," he breathed methodically, adding a deep, and somewhat wise, timbre to his voice as his crimson eyes met expectant purple, "the literal margin between of our losses might be distant, but to our souls … the agony is the same, and should never be compared."

Yang threw him a sad half-smile and looked into the distance, staring out onto the city.

Silence took hold, but it was not an uneasy silence. It was, instead, a content silence, one which told Krev they could comfortably spend hours in each other's company without having to utter a single word. It was a feeling that had not swept over Krev in years, having spent most of his time with a group of individuals who disapproved of his personality and views – not an environment for comfortable silences.

The Blood Angel could have just gazed at Yang from dusk till dawn, but he wished to continue their conversation in order to know the blonde a little better and to hear her voice again. Therefore, Krev pushed himself off the poll with a light nudge of his foot, gently sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he initiated the continuation of their stroll.

"I must thank you," he said joyfully.

"For what?" she replied, now walking distinctively closer.

"Your willingness to share intimate details about your life with me. I'm humbled, but I do hope I'm not the first person you have told about your mothers."

He made this comment because of personal experience. Krev knew that if a person never shared such loss, or waited this long to share it, with another had a potentially greater deleterious effect than speaking to those who simply did not care about, or wished to dismiss, another's pain.

"No, I did tell someone else." Yang might have believed her response told him nothing, but in fact it told him _everything_.

The way it was phrased, the way she consciously tried to avoid mentioning a particular person's name again suggested one thing: the 'someone else' was not her sister, but another person close to her. And he highly suspected that person was Blake.

"What of your sister? Does she not comfort you?"

"Yeah, she's always been there for me and I've always been there for her. We're not just sisters, but good friends, you know? That's why I was _so _happy when I learned she was going to be attending Beacon the same year as me!"

"You make it sound like she wasn't going to. What changed?"

"Well she's two years younger than me," Yang explained. "She's here because Professor Ozpin accepted her early, she's very talented."

"I would like to meet her, she sounds impressive."

"You've met her already actually – earlier today – she was the girl wearing the red hood."

A young girl wearing a red cloak with her school uniform was not a difficult person to miss in a crowd, let alone when she was standing right in front of you, so Krev remembered seeing the hooded girl earlier that day. Thinking about her age he couldn't help but be impressed, noting that if the average student was seventeen when they began, then she must have been around fifteen-years-old. He was, however, concerned as well, his inner cynic wondering if Yang's sister was simply talented enough to merit early acceptance into Beacon, or was Ozpin playing a larger game?

"What's wrong?" It could have easily have been Yang who spoke the question, but it was the Blood Angel who asked the blonde upon seeing her worried expression.

"Huh, nothing," she replied, obviously distracted by her previous train of thought.

He gave a friendly smile. "Yang, you can tell me."

"It's just … it's about Ruby."

"Your sister?"

"Yes."

"I do not wish to pry into personal affairs you do not want to discuss, but if it helps, you can tell me what happened between you two."

"Why do you think something happened?"

"Because I've seen that look too many times on my own face after I've argued with Valery."

"So a habit of yours is to check out your expression after a fight?" Yang said jokingly, mocking his statement. "Do you find the closest mirror? Or do you keep a specially made one in that cool jacket of yours for the occasion?"

"I have a compact," he answered dryly. "Now, what happened?"

"Ruby and I got into a fight, well, she mostly screamed at me."

He watched the blonde nervously rub her hands together, like she was running her hands under an invisible tap.

"Look, if you don't want to discuss this –"

"No, it's fine! It's just I've rarely seen her so angry…"

There was another content silence as the Blood Angel gave Yang the time she needed to think about her sister, wishing to give her the space she needed to think of a solution to the apparent tense situation between her and Ruby. Although after a minute Krev decided to offer some advice, knowing he probably wasn't the most qualified considering his consistently tense relationship with the rest of his team.

"You obviously care about your sister, so I would speak to her when the opportunity arises," he soothingly whispered. "After all, you did say you take care of each other."

"I will," Yang whispered back, ceasing her fidgeting. "Now what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do your friends comfort you?"

"They did, but that was a long time ago. My … 'friends' – like every other empathetic human or Faunus on the planet – were willing to listen to my fury, my recollections of the Wanderers and my beliefs for a time immediately after the event to attempt lessening my pain. But this was not out of kindness, it was from obligation." Krev exhaled, then continued in a rather nonchalant tone. "So now they either simply do not care, or despise me."

"That's horrible," Yang said sympathetically. "Why don't they care? Why hate you?"

"Because of the way I fight … because of who I am…" he gazed directly into her eyes. "…because of my beliefs."

"And what are those?"

Krev threw her a friendly, yet confused grin, "I'm sorry?"

"Your beliefs, what are they?"

_Now why would she wish to hear those?_

He had been surrounded by individuals who disregarded his views as misguided teachings or called him insane because of them for _years_, so to have someone – a person he offended no less – asking him to discuss his beliefs surprised Krev.

_Am I only a conundrum to her – a puzzle to be solved?!_

He was quite offended by the prospect, and more than a little hurt. Krev had genuinely believed she wanted to spend the evening with him because of who he was, which _was_ partially the reason, but her true intent was now demonstrably clear. Yang did not feel a connection between them – an _understanding_ – as he did, she did not feel something _more_ brewing … she simply wanted to shared her pain in order to solve a mystery.

Who is the Blood Angel and why does he act sodifferently to everyone else? _That_ was the mystery she wanted to solve!

Krev didn't know if he was impressed or angered, for Yang had successfully fooled him into believing she cared about him. He was inclined to be impressed with her actions and angry with himself, because he should have realised no-one born into Remnant's corrupt society would ever care about him, let alone … let alone develop feelings for him.

_I'm alone, why should that change now? _Krev almost loathed the fact he allowed his teenage hormones to impair his judgement. _The question is now, what should I do next?_

He was now torn between flying away and staying to answer her question. It was tempting to leave, but Krev believed himself to still be in Yang's debt and that he owed it to his tribe, to _himself_ after everything he had been through, to spread the wise teachings of the Wanderers.

The Blood Angel halted and exhaled, turning to face Yang as she stopped also.

"As I have said before, I believe 'Remnant' is indeed an apt name for this world. We are separated from each other by living within the confines of four kingdoms. We waste what lies beyond – a glorious world I have seen. And _why_ do we live within the kingdoms? _Why _are we afraid to venture beyond?"

"The Grimm," she replied defensively. "You and Blake might have been able to survive, but everyone else who has ever left the safetyof the kingdoms – unless they're a Huntsman or Huntress – have been killed by the Creatures of Grimm. Just look at Mountain Glenn."

"But the Grimm should not be a problem," Krev said casually.

"What?" Yang by surprised by his comment, her reaction not coming as a surprise to him.

"I believe there is more to the Grimm than we are told, but let's not pay attention to that right now shall we? For now, let us ask ourselves an important question: Why are the Grimm still a threat? Think about it, there are hundreds of Hunters graduating from the academies each-and-every year, and how many Grimm do you believe a qualified Huntsman or Huntress can kill by themselves before their Aura level even begins to drop? One-hundred Grimm … one-_thousand_ Grimm? So, Yang, ask yourself this: Why haven't the councils agreed on a strategy to extinguish the Grimm? Why not form an army of Hunters – both experienced and young - to _sweep_ over this world and destroy the Grimm once and for all?"

Yang was completely taken aback by his outburst and looked somewhat fearful, but Krev did not relent.

"You know what, I'll tell you why! It's _control_, Yang, the councils do not wish to purge the Grimm because they are an excellent way of keeping people _confined_. The Grimm are the perfect tool for the councils – for _all _of those who rule us – to meticulously control our lives, to know where we are and what we doing during each-and-every-moment of our existence!

"Yang, a world order has been formed where we – the ordinary people – are divided, controlled and, worse of all, our children are taught to accept violence as a normal part of life and to embrace it … to _enjoy _it because those in authority wish to preserve this corrupt, unjust world."

The blonde before him did not utter a reply; she just stared at him with her eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar, as if she had been punched in the gut by his words.

"I don't expect you to agree with me nor particularly like me after everything I just said, no-one ever does," Krev said hopelessly. "I understand though; you and I were raised differently. You believe this society is right and see no issue with children being trained to become bloodthirsty warriors who live to kill creatures we know almost nothing about. Whilst I, on the other hand, despise this world and those who control it – we are constantly lied to, manipulated and fractured, so I believe Remnant needs someone to unite it."

"Is that supposed to be you?" asked Yang, her voice barely a whisper.

There was no derision in her tone, but Krev replied sternly nonetheless. "Yes. I only wish to become a Huntsman for two reasons … to help people, and change this world for the better."

"Yang," he began, his voice smooth and comforting. "I know we are polar opposites in regards to beliefs, but we have both faced the pain of loss. Therefore, I hope we can remain content in each other's company."

Her shocked expression faded and was replaced by worry, "Yes, of course, it's just … I was thinking."

"About?"

Yang had obviously been stunned by his beliefs, but Krev was happy to see that his rant didn't scare her away and she was still willing to talk to him even if it was from curiosity, not reciprocated feelings.

"You're like Blake," Yang replied, "she also wants to become a Huntress to right the wrongs of our world, but I don't think you two share the same opinion when it comes what those wrongs are."

"How so?"

"Blake wants to help lessen the divide between humans and Faunus, and I think she sees the current leadership of the White Fang to be a problem."

He had deduced earlier that day Blake was a Faunus and had recently learned she was raised outside of the kingdoms also. Therefore, there was an increased possibility she either encountered issues with the White Fang before or – something Krev feared to be the truth – she was a member. He suspected if Blake was once associated with the White Fang, those ties had long since been broken otherwise she would not have been attending Beacon Academy.

Krev understood there was no hope for anything more developing between him and Yang, and he _knew_ she didn't truly care about _him_, so the Blood Angel wasn't going to even bother perpetuating their personal discussion. He was, however, going to use the current situation to his advantage.

"We _all _find their current leadership to be a problem, Yang," he chuckled, resuming their walk. "Tell me, has Blake ever had any contact with the White Fang?"

"No! Wh-why do you ask?"

The way she replied troubled him. Yang's response was filled with urgency and anxiety, as if she was trying to hide a secret she feared he was close to uncovering. The question was, what was that secret?

_Is Yang aware of her friend's cat ears – as evident from her features and amber eyes – and trying to conceal _that _particular secret? Or is it something a little more sinister? _

"I only ask because you said Blake was raised outside of the kingdoms like me," Krev answered casually to hide his intent, "so I thought it more likely she would have encountered the White Fang at some point. I also asked because, during our stay here, we – KAVS and NOVA – will be defending the Vytal Festival from any further White Fang incursions, so any additional information gained from previous encounters would have proved useful."

Yang breathed a light sigh of relief, revealing a portion of the truth for Krev. It had been subtle, almost unnoticeable, but the Blood Angel had detected the respire.

He asked his question to discover if Blake had ever encountered or stupidly became involved with the White Fang, if Yang knew anything and, most importantly, the status of any association. Judging by the blonde's overjoyed exhale (an overreaction to fearing the exposure of ears) there had once been an affiliation, but it was over.

As his associates had once observed, Krev was often skilled at deduction, yet he did not determine the status from Yang's reaction. He trusted her …. or at least he trusted Yang enough not to harbour a member of the White Fang and Beacon's screening process.

He would need to confront Blake the following day and convince her to tell him everything she knows. Krev wasn't lying when he told Yang that every piece of information would prove useful … although, he would never lie to Yang.

"Wait, you said 'I thought it more likely', does that mean … you know, that you – ?"

"Yes, I have personally faced the White Fang before." Yang looked like she was about to ask how the encounter came to fruition, so he primitively responded. "A large group of White Fang members – although, they were more like soldiers – found my tribe on the coast of Mistral and attacked. Their discovery of us was a fluke in actuality, but that titbit of knowledge was useless at the time as you may imagine when you have a small army firing at your homes.

"I remember one yelling 'You will be helping the cause' as they fired, determined to kill us all for – as I realised later – our supplies, so we retaliated and killed them all first." He chose to leave out the part where he killed several members himself. "We might have grown used to fighting Grimm, but they never stood a chance. And _because_ of our ability to kill them rather easily, I ruled out successful retribution being the death of my tribe a long time ago."

Yang halted and Krev followed a few paces later, turning on the spot to gaze at her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

She answered with a beaming smile, "We have a lot in common."

Krev couldn't help but smile at her in return.

"In regards to the White Fang?"

"Yeah," she said cheerily, "because I've fought them too."

_Now this is certainly an interesting development._

"Do tell."

"I would, but I don't think I'm supposed to," Yang explained nervously. "Professor Ozpin said to keep everything low key."

The Blood Angel felt a burning rage surge through his entire being, causing him to instinctively ball his hands into fists and drive his closely clipped nails into his palms.

_So it's not enough to allow your students to get involved with the White Fang situation, you have to order them to withhold important information as well?!_

Krev loathed Ozpin at that moment in time and would have displayed his anger, but he did not portray his true emotions for Yang to see. He was treading on thin ice with Yang at the moment, knowing all too well from experience that if you looked someone directly in the eye with a scornful expression, yet they were not the one who angered you, they might still get the wrong idea. Instead, he unfurled his fists and daintily placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing their eyes to meet.

"Yang, listen to me," he said sternly, "if we are to _protect_ you, possibly even _defeat _the White Fang whilst we are here, I need you to tell me _everything_ you know about _them_, their plans and your previous encounters with its members. Any information you may possess will prove – please do excuse my pun – _vital_ in our efforts to protect you … in _my _efforts to protect _you_."

"You make it sound like I need protecting," she said, her eyes narrowing flirtatiously as she gave him a heart-warming smile.

"I know you don't … but perhaps I want to."

Their conversation thus far might not have been lengthy to an observer, but within that short time Krev had grown to care for Yang for multiple reasons. Sure she was beautiful and her voice emanated sensuality, but it was their similar pasts and the glimpses her true, loving personality which proved to be the source of his affection.

He knew Yang didn't feel the same way about him, but despite this he still wished to, at the very least, protect _her _from the White Fang if no-one else.

Krev watched Yang as she searched his eyes, her purple orbs gazing into his soul as she tried to decide what to do next. A moment pasted, then Yang nodded.

"Okay," she said with another beaming smile. "I'll tell you."

He gave a warm smile and released her shoulder, a movement which led to them continuing their stroll towards the central landing pad. As promised, Yang told the Blood Angel everything as they walked side-by-side with barely a hair's breadth between them.

* * *

The only sound that could be heard was a clock ticking somewhere in the large space. It was a sound most would find relaxing whilst browsing through the library's extensive collection of texts and help others to stay conscious when reading through a particularly dull piece of literature. Using the computers to produce work could be tedious also.

Weiss understood how some people needed a ticking clock to relax or to remain focused, but she didn't need it. She was a determined person, a girl who aimed high and would do everything in her power to obtain her goals – she certainly wouldn't throw her teammates under a bus to achieve them, but Weiss would stay up into the early hours some nights putting that 'little extra something' (a fact, an extra chapter, etcetera) into reports to ensure she achieved a nice, high grade.

Some people called it perfectionism, she called it determination and them – the fools who wished to simply scrape by – morons.

In regards to the time piece, she _did_ have to admit the gentle tick was useful for reminding her, as clocks should, of how many hours she'd spent in the library, swiftly prompting her (if it was late) to return to her dorm for some deep slumber.

Weiss gave a gentle smile in the direction of her stern-faced, uninterested leader, remembering their first official day after imitation. It wasn't the happiest of days because she and Ruby had a little falling out over who should have been leader, so that wasn't what made her smile. What had amused Weiss was the fact she, after speaking with Professor Port and needing time to think, spent the rest of the day in the library researching subjects which interested her before returning to the dorm.

Browsing through a variety of books helped Weiss to come to the conclusion that Professor Port was right and she needed to become a great teammate, a revelation she later shared with Ruby later that night.

The heiress' smile faded as she continued to stare at the cloaked girl, wishing the innocent Ruby she had grown to know was sitting across from her.

There were many small tables situated between the large shelving units in the library. By sitting at one of the tables, your own little world was created and you, the person you may have been with and the books were its only occupants – a cosy atmosphere.

Weiss was sitting across from her leader at one of the small tables, their crossed legs almost touching under its surface while a couple of texts lied on top. The heiress was gawking at Ruby, her own text left unattended in front of her as she watched the cloaked girl read through pages of a large tome with a steely expression.

She wasn't one to be taken aback by much in life, but what the heiress saw back at RWBY's dorm made her feel rather strange: Ruby, her childish and usually happy leader and partner, had screamed at her sister. It wasn't unusual for families to argue, but Ruby wasn't the type to yell, let alone throw hurtful words at her sister, or, at least, Weiss had thought her leader wasn't that type of person.

Weiss had felt like she knew Ruby well enough after the first semester to understand her and her personality, but after the caped girl's display of rage, Weiss felt like she was sitting across from someone entirely different … someone new … someone who unnerved her…

Someone she found alluring.

_I like Ruby, I really do, yet I can't help myself from finding her anger … attractive? Why do I keep thinking the word 'attractive'?_

"Weiss?" the cloaked girl breathed in a menacing tone, slowly turning to a new page in her book.

"Y-Yes, Ruby?" she was not scared of her leader, but Ruby's new demeanour was certainly continuing to unnerve her.

"Why are you staring at me?" Ruby asked, not even bothering to glance up from the tome.

"I-I was just curious."

Ruby finished the last line on the right-hand page, the turned to the next, her silver eyes following the floppy paper as she asked, "About?"

"I-I was wondering how long were going to let Zwei stay with Dr. Oobleck? I uh … I miss the little guy."

"I'm sure you do, but that wasn't your true curiosity."

"No, it wasn't," Weiss confessed.

Instead of asking for her to proceed, Ruby looked up and stared into Weiss' eyes. Her leader's expression wasn't displaying any anger or contempt, but her eyes were wide and her lips formed a thin line, making the expression was unmoving, cold even.

"I-I was wondering, do you…" Ruby's unemotional gaze was making this difficult for her, but she needed to finish "…d-do you hate your sister?"

"No, of course I don't hate Yang!" the caped girl screamed, slamming the book onto the table. "It's just…"

Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears and nerves threatened to take over, but Weiss ignored the tension and soothingly uttered the name she feared to speak…

"Summer?"

The cloaked girl slumped back in her chair, looking off to the side with anger etched into her usually adorable features.

"Yes," her leader replied.

"Who were they, Ruby?" the heiress breathed, wanting to fully understand the shift in her partner's behaviour.

"_She _was important to me once."

"Still _is_ by the looks of it," Weiss gave a lovely half-smile, her expression forgiving and angelic as she consoled her partner. "Ruby, we all promised to talk to each other whenever something's bothering us, so you know you can tell me."

"It's complicated, Weiss."

"How?"

"Weiss!" snapped the younger girl, causing Weiss' blue orbs to widen and her body to jolt. Seeing how her partner reacted, Ruby exhaled to calm herself. "I'm sorry," she added, her voice now solemn, "it's just she isn't someone I like talking about."

"Why?" the heiress asked, her tone gentle and comforting – the opposite to Ruby's. "What happened?"

"Please stop asking me questions."

"We're partners Ruby … I'm here for you."

A moment passed as Ruby's gaze seemed transfixed on a wall of books. The heiress thought genuinely believed her leader wasn't ever going to reply, but then she released a long breath and closed her eyes. But she never looked at her partner as she spoke and her tone worried Weiss, for it was a mixture of hopelessness and pain.

"Weiss, how would you like it if someone started asking you questions about the things _you _didn't want to talk about, the things that _really _hurt? Like your parents for instance, you think we haven't noticed, but every time a conversation looks like it's about to involve stories about parents, you get all jittery or bail. Or, what about your scar? You haven't openly talked about how you got it, so I'm guessing you don't like talking about it. So how about I ask you about your parents and your scar? How would that make you feel?"

Shock replaced the heiress' expression as Ruby returned to her book, not even bothering to assess the damage her words had caused. Thankfully it wasn't much because Weiss, despite her disbelief of what just occurred, found herself agreeing with Ruby. She understood what the caped girl meant and felt terrible for pushing her into giving an answer, having experienced that hopelessness and pain before.

_Who am I kidding? I still feel like that sometimes._

Whenever Weiss thought back to her years of emotional anguish at the hands of her father or the fight which occurred at White Castle … that giant suit of armour that _still_ managed to become the focal point for many of her nightmares, she found herself being crushed by heartache, fear and loathing that was too much to bare, let alone divulge to another.

"R-Ruby?"

Her partner may have been suffering through too much emotional turmoil to discuss Summer, but since the topic of the heiress' scar had been mentioned…

"What?" Ruby breathed tiredly.

"W-What do you think about my scar?"

The heiress' heart was pounding and her nerves were frail. Weiss didn't understand why she cared _so much _about Ruby's feelings towards her scar, but for some strange reason it still felt as if her friend's opinion meant everything.

The younger girl looked up from her tome, bewilderment written across her features having not properly heard the heiress' question.

"Sorry?" she asked softly.

"My scar, what do you think of it?"

An expression of pure fear washed over the cloaked girl's face as she looked down at the book in her grasp. For a moment Weiss believed she had pushed her teammate into withdrawing into herself, but then Ruby lightly placed her text on the table and nervously met Weiss' fearful gaze, clasping her pale hands together on the wooden surface.

"Well I like it," she hesitantly replied. "I think it looks cool … and pretty. I think it complements your features perfectly and –"

"You think it's pretty?"

"Well yeah … who wouldn't?"

Silence fell as Ruby's cheeks reddened, looking away in a futile attempt to hide the joyful, embarrassed smile playing across her lips. Weiss knew how she felt, for the heiress gave a dazzling smile of pure happiness, her breath becoming shallow with the increased rhythm of her elated heart.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked gently, opposing how she first uttered her partner's name at the start of their conversation.

"Yes, Ruby?"

The younger looked up and met Weiss' gaze again, but this time they gave each other warm smiles.

"I'm sorry for what I said before."

"There's no need to apologise."

"Yes, there is. I shouldn't have been so mean to you … or Yang," her friend looked down again for a moment, slipping into deep thoughts.

Weiss was beginning to find Ruby's habit of looking away rather annoying because she wanted the younger girl to focus on _her_ and _her_ alone! She was, however, willing to forgive Ruby…

The cloaked girl was, after all, thinking about her sister and a way to express her regret – a difficult task, especially when it came to family.

Ruby returned to staring at Weiss, throwing her a cheery smile that made the heiress smile back. "How about you and I come to an agreement?"

"Oh," Weiss said curiously and somewhat playfully. "And what would this 'agreement' be in regards to? What are the terms?"

"When we're ready, we talk," Ruby said in a comforting tone. "I'll tell you everything about Summer and _you_, missy, can tell me everything about your parents and that pretty little scar of yours."

Weiss' blissful smile grew, "I'd like that."

"Good, then it's an understanding."

They contently studied the other's peaceful gaze before returning to their studies, both girls happy to be in the other's company and neither complained about – and rather enjoyed – the feeling of their legs occasionally stroking beneath the table.

* * *

"Who do you think they might have been?"

Yang had done what was asked of her and told him everything. Well _almost_ everything … she still had a promise, or rather a secret, to keep for Blake.

"I have ideas," she answered, "but they're all unlikely."

She told him everything about her partner's first encounter with Roman Torchwick at the docks and every other significant event which took place thereafter: RWBY's battle against him beneath the highway, her sister's brief confrontations against a mysterious woman who 'fought with glass', their mission to Mountain Glenn, their futile attempt to stop the train and, of course, the Breach. Yang had also chosen to disclose her sighting of the woman who saved her, making it clear the woman's identity had been a great source of distraction for her, on-and-off, for the last two days – an obsession which had led to Ruby's outburst.

It was a lot of information to take on board, but Krev listened to everything she conveyed and was unsurprisingly able to comprehend every detail. Although, it was surprising, and a little unnerving, for Krev not to have commented on her sister's reaction.

"Okay, so if we discount her, we are left with three individuals the White Fang has chosen to work alongside," Krev said deep in thought, his seductive timbre exciting Yang. "We have a criminal who is now in custody, a woman who fights using glass and a girl who – judging from what you have told me – has thus far been an annoyance."

"Oh I definitely want to punch that umbrella-carrying twerp in the face for what she did to me," she uttered angrily.

There was silence as she studied Krev, her eyes travelling down his perfect form as he continued to gaze at Vale from the edge of the landing pad.

"It's the second one who worries me," he said, his handsome features set into a stern expression. "You told me she fought with glass, yet this was not her Semblance and instead something she achieved through the use of Dust she had in canisters."

"Yes, I did," Yang replied even though she knew it wasn't a question.

"She can possibly manipulate Dust in its raw state," Krev continued, his eyes narrowing. "This would make her one of those rare _few _who carry no burden upon their soul, who feel absolutely _no _inner turmoil, and are _resolute _in _who _they are and _what _they are trying to achieve – a dangerous foe … someone I'll definitely be looking out for."

Yang gazed at him with bewilderment in her eyes, finding it strange how he passed over another opportunity to continue the more personal side of their conversation. She wasn't one of those people who enjoyed inciting sympathy from others, but Yang wanted Krev to talk to her on a personal level again, yet he refused to deviate from professional matters. In fact, he hadn't even looked at her after requesting she revealed everything she knew about the White Fang.

He had, after some coaxing, happily shared personal information with her before, so what had changed?

"Krev, can you please look at me?" Yang breathed.

"I think I'll need to have myself a little chat with Ironwood soon," he said, ignoring her request. "I believe the General should be able to tell me where Torchwick is being kept and give me access – or a secure channel, if he's no longer in the kingdom – so I can interrogate the scum myself."

"Krev?"

Seeming to acknowledge there was no point in evading her any longer, Krev closed and exhaled in defeat before turning on the spot to meet her gaze.

"What is it?" he asked gently.

Yang didn't agree with his views for one second, but she understood where they came from, why he believed in them and why he acted so differently to everyone else she knew. Krev had been taught by the Wanderers, his family, to believe Remnant was corrupt. This was a message she had not heard from anyone else, so it was logical to assume the Wanderers were the only people to have ever believed such lies about society. Therefore, when they were wiped out by something Krev believed to be more powerful than any Grimm, he became the last Wanderer in many ways.

When they died, Krev no only lost his parents, but everyone who believed what he believed … the only people who believed what he believed. She couldn't imagine for even a second how it felt to have a cause no-one else believed in and ridiculed because, with their loss, Krev was turned into a misplaced soul.

He was now living in a world where everyone else believed in a society he despised, a society he believed was corrupt and needed to be changed. This was a message he tried to spread, but no matter what he _did_ or what he _said_, people would always show him anger, disgust and call him insane.

Krev had the whole world against him.

Yang wasn't like everyone else though. Instead of hatred, she displayed only kindness and was willing to listen. Instead of calling him insane, she felt _sorry _for him. Krev probably didn't need her sympathy, but Yang wanted to draw him out of his pit of despair and show him he wasn't alone.

She had lost people close to her heart, and Yang had decided to share the loss of her mothers to ease his pain and her own. Discussing her mothers had proven ever so slightly therapeutic for Yang, for she had told a man who understood her agony.

But there was something else amidst the sorrow, something she knew he also felt: Attraction. Yang found him irresistible from the moment she saw him in the amphitheatre, nor could she resist gawking at his physique during the times he turned his eyes away from her. This lust, however, was not one-way, for she had seen a familiar glint in his eyes multiple times in one day.

Boys always thought were subtle, but even Krev couldn't hide the fact he checked her out earlier that day and was trying, but finding it very difficult, not to give-in to temptation and do it again.

So that was it for Yang, she found him charming, elegant, sexy and loved the way he carried himself with purpose, therefore, every time his piercing crimson eyes met her gaze, Yang felt her pulse quicken, her mouth become dry and it became harder to breath.

"Yang, what is it?" Krev asked again, this time with a hint of concern in his tone.

Coming back to reality, Yang thought about why she wanted to grasp his attention before finally responding.

"What's wrong Krev?"

"Whatever do you mean?" he said with a playful smile, but his eyes conveyed only sadness.

"Before you were willing to tell me about your past, about your family, but now you seem obsessed about the White Fang." Krev looked down to one side in sorrow and she gave him a moment to reply, but none came, so she continued. "Krev, what suddenly happened for you to change your mind? Why aren't you talking to me anymore?"

"But I am talking to you," he breathed, desperate for her to accept this reply.

"No, you're not," she pressed, her voice growing harsh. "You say you are, but you're not! Before we got onto the subject of the White Fang I told you about my loss and you told me about yours! You even told me everything you believe! So tell me, what suddenly happened for you to stop wanting to talk to me on a human level?! I like you Krev, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life standing out here performing this dance!"

"And that's the problem," Krev replied as he met her stunned glare. "You say you don't want to perform a dance, but you _do_, one where you tell me intimate details about your life in the hopes I'll tell you about mine. Huh, I genuinely believed you _cared _about me for a while there, but I saw through your little game a while ago."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Yang, I'm a mystery to you," he said hopelessly, "a _puzzle _to be solved … and I refuse to be any such thing!"

As she stared at him in bewilderment, Krev turned in the direction of Beacon.

"Goodnight Yang," he added sorrowfully, then began to walk away.

Yang watched him as he left her company, her mind trying to make sense of everything he told her. It took her a moment to figure it out, but then revelation took hold and she sprinted after him. It had only been a few seconds, so it didn't take long for her to catch up with him and, when she was right behind him on the opposite edge of the landing pad, Yang grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait!" she desperately yelled, her grip forcing him to stop.

Krev let out a long breath and uttered miserably, "Let go of me, Yang."

"No," she said angrily, but with every passing word her voice became wracked with sadness. "You've been alone for _too long_ genuinely believe there's no-one out there who cares about you, but _I_ do! Yes, I have to admit I found you fascinating, and I wanted to understand _why _you believe this world is corrupt, but I chose to share my pain with you because I care about you!"

"No, you don't."

"But I do! Look, I get it, you've existed without people who think like you or even _care_ about you for years! I understand what it's done to your trust, but _please_ listen to me Krev, _please_, just because you've spent so long alone doesn't mean there aren't people out there who care about you, it's doesn't mean there isn't a person out there who … a person out there who loves you."

Realising what she had purposely said, Yang let go of his arm. Krev turned on the spot and looked into her fearful eyes, his face a mask of stunned happiness. Upon seeing his expression, Yang's own lightened as she gave him a contented smile, a gesture he swiftly returned.

There was silence, but it wasn't awkward. In fact, it felt as if the atmosphere was charged with their attraction. Both Krev and Yang's hearts were pounding from excitement and nerves, their chests constricting and their cheeks burning bright red as their teenage minds thought about one act that could have led to something amazing, something that could have changed both their lives for the better and, perhaps, could have led to the happily ever after everyone in life so desperately craved.

"How sweet," growled a deep, cold, elegant voice with meticulous diction.

Neither recognised the malevolent tone, but when Krev and Yang turned around to investigate, they immediately recognised the person and, as any huntsmen or huntress-in-training should, the substance which coated their armour.

It was Sapphire, and he was coated in blood.


	10. Ch9: Once Upon A Time, Part 1

**A/N: Pour a glass of your favourite elixir, sit back, relax and, to paraphrase the opening dialogue in **_**The Prestige**_** … read closely. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Once Upon A Time, Part 1**

_Several hours earlier…_

The battle on the docks had been fierce; dozens of Atlasian Knights had been torn apart and one airship had been destroyed, but at least a horde of Grimm, possibly _hundreds_ of Grimm, had been exterminated in the process.

Were the losses worth it?

Even through the wisps of black smog rising from the corpses surrounding her, Violet was able to study the scattered parts that once comprised NOVA's supporting company of Knights. The purple-themed girl could feel a deep sadness as she gazed upon the components and knew her eyes portrayed this sorrow.

'They were only machines' most people would say, but it was difficult for Violet – a girl who relied upon synthetic limbs – to not feel affinity with, and sympathy for, the machines.

Movement caught her eye, the high levels of adrenaline still coursing through her veins causing Violet to sharply redirect her attention. She exhaled, a smile adorning her lips upon realising Ash had ran past to meet up with Orion at the centre of the docks.

"Idiot," she whispered to herself.

It had been foolish of him to have simply of run past after such an encounter – she could have easily have of shot Ash in the belief he was a Grimm. Violet wasn't stupid, no-one was on their teams, so they could all tell the difference between a person and a Grimm, but when the adrenaline was pumping and a person was dressed almost entirely in black … well, let's just say it wasn't impossible to make a mistake.

Chuckling to herself over the idea of accidently shooting her fellow cyborg (again), Violet stepped out of her surrounding smog and made her way over to her chatting teammates. It was quite some walk, so she decided to make use of the time.

Violet unclipped the pouch on her hip and took several pink-coloured (she liked the contrast between the pink and her attire) Dust rounds within her right hand before beginning the process of reloading her weapon. She made a fist with her left hand and a small piece of metal on the inside of her forearm retracted, creating a gap large enough for a new round.

She smirked and rolled the bullets within her grasp until she had one between thumb and forefinger, then placed the object within the opening before finally pushing it inside with her thumb. She continued this process until all twenty rounds within her grip were inside her left arm and repeated the procedure with her right arm, the entire process taking little under a minute as she casually strolled over to join Orion and Ashley.

"So where are we going next?" Violet asked in a serious tone.

Gazing between the two boys the purple boxer recoiled both of her arms simultaneously, but to an observer it looked as if she'd harshly shrugged. This action had, in fact, caused the metallic plates to slide back into place as a pair of new compressed rounds loaded into _Unyielding Strength_'s chambers – a millisecond process which emanated a satisfying click.

"Can't remember," Ashley replied. "Doesn't matter though, Sapphire's got the list."

"Well speak of the Devil and he shall come," Orion happily interjected.

Violet and Ash followed their green-themed teammate's line-of-sight and saw Sapphire standing several feet away. They all wore welcoming smiles, but these quickly faded as they realised something didn't feel right.

"Sapphire, are you okay?" Orion enquired with ill-hidden concern.

There was no response. Sapphire just stood there like a statue with his head hung low, his long black hair hiding his features.

Ashley glanced at his fellow confused teammates and threw them a nervous smile, asking for an explanation. None was given of course, so Ash decided to take matters into his own hands and broke away from them.

"C'mon Sapphire," he said in a friendly tone, quickly making his way over to the Blue Knight, "there's no need to get all 'Krev' on us all of a sudden."

Ash halted in front of his leader and cocked his head, trying (and failing) to catch a glimpse of Sapphire's expression.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the cyborg uttered, patting his friend on the arm.

Silence.

"Sapphire, are you –?"

Ashley had once again attempted to pat his leader on the arm, but before his synthetic appendage could even make contact, the Blue Knight's hand shot up and firmly grasped his wrist. It had been the swiftest movement they had ever seen their leader make, so all three students gazed upon Sapphire with their mouths ajar, a mixture of shock, amazement and, most of all, fear distorting their features.

Sapphire raised his head with the synthetic limb still in his grip, the motion causing his hair to part down the middle to reveal a sinister leer and piercing, malevolent eyes.

"Now _that_ can be very annoying," the Blue Knight spoke, but his voice was different somehow. It was deeper, colder, and he pronounced every word precisely.

Before they knew, it began.

Threads of converted Aura coated Sapphire's free hand, causing the surface of his gauntlet to shine a wonderful shade of blue as the mythic tendrils licked the air. With his hand reinforced by a barrier of energy, he attacked, the grin on Sapphire's face evolving into a malevolent smile as the palm of his augmented hand smashed into the bicep of the artificial limb and destroyed a portion of Ashley's arm, the strike causing dozens of tiny shards of metal to fly into the atmosphere as the limb was severed.

Ashley emitted a horrific cry of pain, the agony equal to having a real arm – one made from flesh and bone – ripped off a person's body.

Wanting to make this quick, Sapphire hastily gripped the wrist of the arm tightly in both hands and swung, turning the metallic appendage into a club as its severed end struck Ashley on the side of the head. The force of the impact silenced Ashley, destroying what remained of his Guardian and instantly rendering him unconscious. Sapphire could have stopped, but he didn't want to, so before the former cyborg could even collapse to the ground he took another swing in the opposite direction to the first and once again struck Ashley on the side of the head, but with no protection this time the impact burst open his skull and sent his corpse spiralling to the ground.

Ashley Claymore was no more.

"ASHLEY!" Orion screamed as he and Violet charged, the Blue Knight's actions only registering moments before.

Sapphire casually threw Ash's limb to the wayside and pushed out with a splayed hand in one motion, unleashing a massive wave of interweaved threads at his two remaining … 'opponents'. Without much time to react they were struck by the wave, sending them sprawling across the ground until they finally came to a stop a few dozen feet away.

Orion was the first to regain some composure and charged again, but this time with a bellow of rage and with his chains partially unsheathed. Sapphire smirked and gave what appeared to be a dismissive wave with his left hand, a motion which caused two streams of threads to shoot from his fingers, whizz through the air and engulf Orion's chains.

"Wha–?" was all Orion was able to exclaim.

Sapphire rolled his wrist and the chains (now under his control) wrapped around Orion like a pair of hungry snakes, halting his progress and suspending him in the air. The student was now immobile, so the Blue Knight began to slowly close his left hand, an action which commanded the chains to gradually tighten around their former master.

"NO!" Violet cried, alerting Sapphire to her presence.

He turned his head just in time to see the purple-coloured girl closing in, her right fist dragging behind her in preparation to throw an almighty punch. Sapphire raised his right hand and summoned a small barrier comprised of interlocked threads in front of his palm as the space between them was closed and she attacked.

Violet's fist collided with his barrier and went no further, his defensive threads proving impenetrable. Infuriated and desperate to save her friend she unleashed a flurry of strikes, but Sapphire's reaction time was incredible, for he intercepted each one of her attempted hits, moving his hand into their path and summoning a new barrier every time to block her attacks without ever having to lower his left hand or relent on the force he applied to Orion.

After a few more failed attacks, Sapphire pushed out his right hand and unleashed a wave which instantly struck Violet, lifting her off her feet and sending her ricocheting across the ground. With her – an annoyance, from his point of view – out of the way, Sapphire cast his gaze back to Orion and tightened his grip, commanding the chains to end another.

The purple boxer quickly got back to her feet, her face a mask of fury, but it was already too late to save Orion. Before she could even move a hair's breath, she was forced to watch in dismay as the pressure killed Orion, causing his body to explode within his green clothing.

Violet emitted a shriek of horror as she collapsed to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks as the nightmarish events overwhelmed her.

Ashley, Orion … they were both dead, _killed _by her leader, her friend – _their _friend!

_How did it all go so wrong?! Why has Sapphire done all this?! _

Her vision locked on to her knees as she wept, her cries of rage, terror and sadness rivalling the day she awoke to be told her parents were killed in an accident … the same accident which destroyed her arms.

Violet was consumed by her emotions and rendered, to some extent, catatonic, so she didn't even possess the capability to meet Sapphire's gaze.

"Why did you kill them?" she whimpered, her enquiry filled with desperation.

Sapphire, after having killed Orion, had made his way over to Violet and was standing mere feet from her, but as before there was no response. Instead he scrutinised her, his eyes locked upon the purple-themed student as she sobbed.

"Why did you kill them?" she asked again.

He slowly drew _Jekla _from the sheath on his back and gently rested its tip on the wooden floor. Seeing the blade in her peripheral vision, Violet knew what was coming next and decided, before the end, to look up and ask one last time.

"Why kill us, Sapphire?!" she begged, her watery eyes meeting his steely gaze.

Without even uttering a single word the Blue Knight swiftly gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, raised the blade over his left shoulder and brought the heavy, powerful weapon down. He attacked with such force that _Jekla_ instantly destroyed the remainder of her Guardian and sliced through her right shoulder, chest and left hip in a blink of an eye, killing Violet instantly and carving her in two.

Fate, _their _fate, had chosen Team NOVA to be there. Well he had done what was asked, _what was required_, andnow it was time to find what had been lost…

What had been _taken_.

* * *

_Present Time…_

When a person claimed they 'felt'something was wrong, they weren't being melodramatic. You did indeed 'feel' something was wrong, a sensation which originated from the pit of your stomach and crawled up your back, a notion telling you to either prepare for battle or to run.

As Krev studied the man before him, his eyes scrutinising the blood which glistened in the moonlight, he felt that sensation. He felt as if something terrible was about to unfold, but why? The man standing before him, before _them_, was the closest thing he had to a best friend, so he shouldn't have felt that familiar, dreadful pang. Nevertheless, Krev knew the sensation well. After years of fighting, and even killing, to protect his tribe and their way of life, he could not deny his instinct or the wave of nerves, fear and adrenaline which surged through his veins.

He'd never been wrong about a threat in the past, but it was _Sapphire_ standing less than ten feet away, _not _some threat! Besides, Krev found himself growing more concerned with the blood on Sapphire's armour and the whereabouts of NOVA's other three members than anything else…

Krev found himself wondering if Sapphire had been injured or if the blood belonged to his teammates, and, if so, what had succeeded. Was it a lucky Grimm or a powerful thug who worked for the White Fang?

Yang had informed him about the chainsaw wielding brute who almost killed Weiss Schnee, so it wouldn't have surprised him if the White Fang had sent one, or many, of its members or a mercenary to chip away at Ironwood's protection for Beacon and the festival … it wasn't exactly a secret why they were all there after all.

"Are you okay?" Yang gently enquired.

Krev would have smiled at her kindness, for her concern for his friend, but his steely expression remained as Sapphire just stood there and said nothing, not even bothering to look up.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked again, taking a couple of steps forward.

Before she could move any further, Krev instinctively grabbed her shoulder to stop her. Sure he was concerned for his friend and NOVA, but the Blood Angel couldn't deny the feeling something bad was going to happen.

Yang halted and looked over her shoulder, confusion written across her face as she met his crimson eyes. Krev wasn't a fool and now comprehended, thanks to Yang, that she at the very least understood him, so the moment when their eyes met he saw the confusion wash away and replaced with awareness.

She now recognised Sapphire wasn't behaving like his normal self, even during a time of crisis.

Krev released her shoulder and gave her a slow nod to show his appreciation and to advice she was prepared for the worst. Satisfied she would follow his advice and remain safe – something he rather selfishly desired – Krev began to edge forward.

"Sapphire, are you okay?" the Blood Angel asked, his tone a mixture of concern and accusation.

There was no response or physical reaction; Sapphire remained still, his face covered by cascading locks of black hair.

"You're back a lot earlier than scheduled," Krev continued, slowly his pace. "We weren't expecting you until Saturday evening, so what happened?"

The smothering silence persisted, escalating the Blood Angel's anxiety.

"Where are the others, Sapphire?" he asked sternly. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Krev halted a couple of feet in front of his friend, his eyes transfixed on Sapphire.

"Where's Violet? Orion? Ashley?" the Blood Angel pressed. "What got them, Sapphire, what – or _who_ – killed them?"

Sapphire slowly looked up after his friend's final question, his hair parting down the middle and his stance instantly changing to reveal a disturbing smile, arrogance and something a lot more important…

It was simply a fact that – if you paid attention enough – you were able to learn a lot about a person over the course of three years; you seemed to memorise the way a person spoke, how they moved and even their stance.

It had been almost three and half years since they first met, so there had been plenty of time to have subconsciously observed and taken note of each other's traits and, most importantly, personality, beliefs and the aura (the feeling, _not _the energy) their counterpart emitted.

Krev _knew_ Sapphire, not simply due to the fact they were both leaders, but because they were friends.

They had met during their combat school's initiation and had spent many times over the years discussing a variety of subjects from the menial to political, but when it came to the latter Sapphire never really pitched in; he always just sat there, _listening_ to Krev as the Blood Angel expressed his outrage or his views. Krev suspected, however, that his friend had chosen to be polite and/or felt obligated to ensure he allowed his fellow leader to vent his anger, hatred and disgust for their society somehow.

Not even Sapphire cared about what he had to say, which was frustrating, but Krev had always been thankful for the mutual understanding between them, the unidentifiable link which drew them together and shielded their friendship from the various times they sparred or the number of long, relentless missions they and their teammates had endured.

Yeah, Krev knew Sapphire. He knew the Blue Knight to be a humble, observant soul who loved his friends and would have done anything to protect them, but the man before them, _now_, was nothing like the sapphire he knew. This man might have been almost entirely coated in blood, but it was the malevolent glint in his eye, the stance which conveyed prowess and arrogance, and the resonating, evil tone, which, in turn, conveyed an important fact…

The man before them was not Sapphire.

Having witnessed the Blood Angel's often calm expression turn into confusion and fear, a mischievous grin spread across Sapphire's lips. Before Krev could react, or even inform Yang of his discovery, the Blue Knight formed a tight fist and struck him square in the chest, instantly winding Krev and knocking him to the ground by Yang's side.

Yang's bewilderment instantly transformed into fury as she watched Krev's prone body strike the ground, her purple eyes turning crimson as she glared directly at Sapphire. Angered, she activated _Ember Celica_ and launched herself at the Blue Knight with a bellow of rage, but he had been expecting such an attack.

Before Yang was even off the ground, Sapphire flicked an open hand and fired a stream of threads, covering the blonde in a thin layer of the converted Aura and suspended her in the air. He watched her reaction and smirked, amused by her shock and by what he had planned for her.

Sapphire thrust a splayed hand in the direction of the ground, a movement which commanded the threads coating the blonde to slam her entire body onto the stonework. The impact forced a gasp from her lungs and cracked the masonry, but he wasn't done. Sapphire wanted to ensure she wasn't going to interfere with any of his plans, so he raised his hand – raising her in the process – and brought it down once more, slamming the student face first onto the ground.

Sapphire repeated this process a few times, each slam harsher than the last. When he was certain she was unconscious and would be barely able to breathe, let alone speak, Sapphire released her from his grip.

A sudden wheeze emanated from Krev as the Blood Angel clutched his sternum with one hand and gripped his head with the other, slowly rolling on the ground like a turtle stuck on its back. Sapphire chuckled at the sight despite his embarrassment; he hadn't meant to harm Krev so much, but he was, after all, still getting used to his new capabilities.

Sapphire covered himself, Krev and the blonde in blue threads and gave the mental command, a whim which levitated them all into the sky.

Krev had regained partial consciousness and was frantically looking from side-to-side, bewilderment and anger etched into his features. His head was free from Sapphire's control, so he was taking the opportunity to gaze upon the buildings beneath them.

Beacon Academy was indeed an architectural masterpiece, but the Blood Angel was unable to focus on the finite details which gave the school its visual appeal. Krev was more concerned with where they were going and what had happened to Sapphire to have _so_ rapidly, and _so _drastically, have changed his personality. He also feared no-one would pay attention to three, person-shaped lumps of dull, blue light travelling over the school in the dead of night, for he knew that, even in their mystical world, people would simply brushoff such a sight as a trick of the mind or would theorise Ironwood was testing some kind of new toy.

People were sheep after all – _dismissive _sheep.

Not rousing the suspicion or gaining the assistance of those inside Beacon's walls concerned him, but it was the eventual, and he knew _inevitable_, explanation for Sapphire's behaviour Krev feared the most.

Sapphire expertly avoided venturing anywhere near the clock tower or dormitories, transferring himself and his captives to a new location by rapidly climbing into the air and flying over empty buildings.

Krev watched as a rectangular structure passed beneath them and a courtyard, a rather bland, concrete, spacious courtyard came into a view. Before he could even begin to surmise the reason for their transportation, Krev saw the ground slowly growing closer and, shortly thereafter, saw the world on its side as his peripheral vision became partially blocked by the flat, concrete floor.

Krev looked past his chest as the threads dissipated, his eyes meeting Sapphire's gaze.

The Blue Knight – or whoever he was – stood several feet away, satisfaction plastered across his face as he studied his blonde captive.

Krev was loathed to take his eyes off Sapphire in the fear he suddenly attacked, but the Blood Angel needed to check on Yang, therefore, Krev followed his counterpart's line-of-sight and was taken aback. There were no signs of any obvious injuries, but apart from the slow rise and fall of her chest … Yang wasn't moving. Krev felt his breath hitch at the prospect of Yang being seriously wounded and wanted to help her, but he had a feeling Sapphire would not permit any such action.

"I'm sorry for the drastic measures my child, but I had to ensure we would be speaking alone," uttered Sapphire, his tone menacing and somewhat cheerful.

Surprisingly enough, Krev was not immediately drawn in by the remark. Instead he quickly studied the area to see where were and, sadly, failed to identify their specific location.

Sapphire had, using his Semblance, taken them to a secluded area. Beacon was an enormous academy comprised of many buildings and interconnecting pathways and courtyards after all, so it made sense a few of the 'in-between locations' had fallen into disrepair over the years and were subsequently cut-off from the rest of the school for safety reasons.

Krev, Yang and Sapphire now resided in one such long-since-abandoned courtyard situated behind a large, almost rectangular building which possessed no windows across its entire surface.

The courtyard itself was – for the lack of a better term – bland, but at the same time hellish. The pavement was black and cracked as plant life forced its way out between the gaps; the archways framing the patio were broken and decaying; the edge of the Emerald Forest could be seen beyond; and the only light was being reflected by the shattered moon which lingered high above.

As Krev rose to his feet, he thought about how much his situation resembled a nightmare, but not once did he pray for it all _not_ to be true. He wasn't morbid, just a realist. Krev knew there was no point in begging a deity to awaken from the nightmare because he knew how life worked, how _his_ life worked…

One moment he was enjoying the company of a beautiful girl, and the next he was taken to a remote location after being knocked unconscious by the man who was supposed to be his friend. Not exactly a typical scenario, so it still surprised him, but Krev wasn't taken aback by the horrific reality of it all for one moment.

"Who are you?" the Blood Angel enquired sternly, glaring at … well, he didn't know _who _exactly. He had, after all, already established the man was not the Sapphire he'd met years before.

A beaming smile spread across the Blue Knight's lips. "Well I'm Sapphire of course."

"No, you're not," snapped Krev.

"Oh, how so?" the man breathed happily, his smile growing into a maniacal sneer.

"Sapphire – the _real _Sapphire – would never do anything like this."

"And how would you know?" the man asked in a serious tone. "How could you _possibly _know the real me, Krev? After all, you always seemed too focused on beating the Hell out of me during our matches, a little obsession of yours I might add, so how could you even _begin_ to understand the real me?"

"Because we're friends," the Blood Angel calmly replied. "We have spent hours talking about our lives, our beliefs and about our abilities. I knew Sapphire, _knew_ he understood me and I understood him in return."

"Yet, for some reason, I never told you about my little secret," Sapphire taunted, beginning to pace back and forth.

"Enough mind games," Krev demanded harshly, but the man ignored him.

"Curious, don't you think, that I never told you the true reason behind my meditation?"

"I know – or rather, _knew_ – the reason."

"Well I know what I told you, yet it's simply not true," he was mocking Krev, but at the same time growling every word to emphasise his points. "I said I 'liked the calm' and the 'peace' which came from meditation, but in actuality I meditated to keep my powers in check. You see Krev, I – just like Silver – fear potential. Sure _his _fear relates to a weapon, but mine came from the potential capabilities of my Semblance."

Sapphire halted and adorned a sorrowful expression, his head hung low in sadness.

_An impressive display of acting prowess_, thought Krev, knowing his enemy's expression to be false.

"I always feared the possible mayhem, the _consequences_ of my actions if I _ever_ allowed myself to become unleashed … so I chose to mediate in order to, when you think about it, not keep my _Semblance_ in check, but rather _myself _in check." His regretful eyes brightened and happiness, a _sardonic_ happiness, engulfed his features. "So, my child, how does it feel to suddenly realise that, for this _entire time_,you have been taking advantage of an opponent who was holding themselves back?! How does it feel to realise that, thanks to _you_…" Sapphire raised an accusing finger, his nose wrinkled into a snarl "…and your_ beatings_ I finally snapped!"

"Are you suggesting, because of yesterday, you've gone insane?!"

Sapphire lowered his arm and smiled. "That is exactly what I'm saying."

"Well then I don't believe you," Krev said with a casual shrug. "I spoke to Sapphire after the match and he pretty much forgave me immediately – he always did. Besides, he was _too_ stable to suddenly have gone _insane_."

The man's face turned into a sinister glower as he paused to stare at Krev, but his expression was almost instantaneously replaced by that of pride, a large, beaming smile returning to his lips as he gazed upon the Blood Angel like a father proud of his offspring.

"I applaud you on the deduction my child – intuitive as ever! You know, your friends on Team NOVA didn't seem to figure it out, well, I think the boys did, but our precious-little-Violet believed it was her leader the whole time, even when his sword, sorry, _my _sword cut her in half." Upon uttering the last part of his cruel tale, Sapphire – this _mad _Sapphire – ran the tip of his thumb across his torso diagonally, from right shoulder to left hip.

"So you killed them." It was a statement, rather than a question, from the Blood Angel.

"Preciously. I had a new body to test and they were right there, so I thought to myself 'Why not?'"

"How?!" Krev demanded through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?"

"_How_ are you in Sapphire? Who are you, really?"

"There's no reason to be so angry my child," he said in a friendly tone, "I will explain everything in due course, beginning with _how _I possessed and killed your friend."

Krev hid his emotions well, but all he wanted was to lash out. The man, woman or even the child inside Sapphire had killed so many, including his friend!

_But why and for what purpose?_

Krev suspected – no, for some reason he _knew _– there was a reason, a _grand_ and potentially life changing explanation for all of his captor's actions. He wanted – no, wrong again, he _needed_ – to know why his fellow leader, Violet, Orion and Ashley were murdered, and why he and Yang were being held captive, but Sapphire – or whoever was really pulling the strings – harboured all the hallmarks of a budding psychopath. Therefore, Krev was going to play it safe and go along with his enemy's game of 'I will speak, and you will listen' for the time being … or at least until an opportunity arose.

_Enemy … huh, never thought I would be speaking to Sapphire – possessed or otherwise – and thinking of him as an enemy._

"I wield a rather useful Semblance," the malicious Sapphire continued, his voice booming with delight, "a Semblance that has allowed me to live for centuries … Soul Transference."

"Soul Transference?" Krev repeated.

"Yes, and as the name suggests it allows me to transfer my entire soul into another," he explained in a gentle, yet still threatening and faintly psychotic tone. "It's a wonderful ability as you can imagine." He paused, his demeanour relaxing as … what? Memories of better times returned to him?

"Oh Krev," he uttered silkily, "I have done so much with my life; _seen _and experienced so much of this world … and do you know the best part of it all – my Semblance, I mean? Aura _is _your soul and a Semblance is a unique manifestation of your Aura, therefore, every time I transfer my essence into a new body, I keep my Semblance."

"Well that certainly explains the _how_," Krev nonchalantly interjected, "but not _why _you've done of all this or _who _you truly are."

"I'll be explaining why I'm here shortly, but as for the _who_ … well when you've lived as long as I your name becomes somewhat of an irrelevance, so I choose to adorn the name of whoever lets me in."

"Huh," the Blood Angel chuckled. "'Let me in', is that what you call it?"

"Oh, but it's the truth," Sapphire purred. "I do not possess anyone against their will."

"So they just 'let you in'?" Krev actually used air quotes that time to mock … well, to mock Sapphire.

He hated the idea of calling the gleeful bastard inside his friend's corpse by the name 'Sapphire', but he refused to continuously refer to him using a variety of colourful adjectives and imaginative phrases either.

"I tell them the truth," Sapphire explained. "I tell them my purpose, _your _purpose and our plan for this world – they accept me each-and-every time."

"The 'truth' you say?" the Blood Angel grinned sarcastically. "Yeah, right, more like a perverted version of the truth."

He expected Sapphire to react severely to his latest bout of derision, mentally readying himself for another sudden attack, instead the blue-themed psycho snorted at the remark.

This new Sapphire possessed a terrifying, and absolutely infuriating, personality. He was playful, mocking, always seemed gleeful and possessed a touch of disdainful, malevolent insanity – the complete opposite to the Blue Knight.

"What's so funny?" Krev demanded, his face a mask of rage, however; his features softened upon remembering asking Sapphire – the _real _Sapphire – the same question the previous day.

"You," the madman snickered. "You sound exactly like a good man I once knew."

Having been pulled back from the brink of mourning his friend, the Blood Angel's eyes narrowed and he made a simple, yet important enquiry, his voice a mixture of ill-hidden fury and soul distorting hatred.

"Why are you here, Sapphire?"

"Using my new name, I'm flattered."

"_Why _are you here?!" insisted Krev. "I know Torchwick had access to Aura users, so are you one of them? Are you a member, or working for, the White Fang? Do you wish to eliminate those you deemas _threats_ to their plans?"

"One can only assume the White Fang see you – the mighty Blood Angel – as a threat, but I have no affiliation with the group. In fact, I'm quite offended by your behaviour my child and your implication; the White Fang are a bunch of _woe is me_ pests who like to cause a seen, my group however – me and my brethren – are so much more."

"And what group is _that_ exactly?" Krev disdainfully enquired.

"Why so demanding my child? Sapphire didn't speak to me this way when we talked."

"You 'talked'?"

The Blood Angel knew they were going off topic again, but he needed to learn why Sapphire had agreed to 'let in' the person before him … and this was probably going to be his only chance to acquire the answers.

"Quite extensively in fact," Sapphire happily explained. "How else was I supposed to 'persuade' him? Although, it was more of a team effort."

"What do you mean?"

"Well remember that speech you gave in the amphitheatre, it was so fascinating, enlightening and … _familiar_. The teachings of your people, but primarily of your parents, correct?"

"Primarily, yes," answered Krev, his features stern despite the fear which surged through him. For a second he worried about the mention of his parents and wondered if Sapphire had made a logical guess, or if there something else behind the remark.

"Huh," the madman chuckled. "Sapphire actually listened you know, he paid attention to everything you said and took it all on board. Despite what you believe my child, it helped him make a _very _important decision. Can you guess that decision?"

"Enlighten me." Krev knew the answer, but did not wish to indulge the maniac.

"_This_, right here, thanks to you my child … he let me in."

"As _you _guessed, I find that hard to believe."

"Well you shouldn't," he said derisively, his mocking aimed at the Blood Angel before targeting the rest of the world. "Sapphire was just like _all_ the rest of them before he met you; to him he was born into a happy family with two parents who told him the same things over-and-over again: Be a Hunter, it's the most noble job; listen to the governments and those in charge – they're your friends – and the mantra they throw around … all the right things to believe in.

"Yet for some reason, and he really didn't know why, Sapphire actually believed in the things you said – thought you were right – and that's why, when I said the exact same things to him…"

"I still don't believe you."

"Krev, Krev, Krev," he slowly shook his head from side-to-side, displaying phony disappointment before continuing. "I told him the truth my child. I told him what we're aiming to achieve, his purpose in life, what this world could become … he _believed_ everything I told him and, more importantly, _knew_ our plans for Remnant will create a better world.

"But do you know what else my child, Sapphire also knew the best way for it _all_ to be accomplished was if I obtained a new body – a younger, stronger body … but not just any body, I needed one with quite unique properties … well, unique to a point. Can you guess what the uniqueness _is_, my child?"

"Go to Hell!"

"Oh I have no intention of going there, but I'm willing to send countless others to damnation to fulfil our mission, continuing with _her_…" he indicated Yang with a tilt of the head "…so unless you want her pretty blood to join my collection, I suggest you stop resisting and listen to everything I have to tell you."

Yang was still unconscious and Sapphire's bargaining chip, so Krev exhaled to ease his rage in an effort to ensure her protection.

"That's better," Sapphire breathed with a lustful smile and began to pace back and forth. "Now where do I begin? There's so much more for me to tell you, so where do I start? Ah! I know!" He stopped directly parallel to Krev and met the Blood Angel's stern gaze, yet his own expression was that of joy, not hatred. "Do you like fairy tales my child, _fables _of ancient heroes who once fought to protect this _pitiful _world?"

"Not particularly," Krev responded, his voice calm but laced with contempt. He despised the madman before him, although he wasn't technically insane. Sapphire was _enjoying _the situation and fully aware of his actions, which most would call crazy, but his behaviour conflicted with that of a genuine psychopath.

In addition to his loathing, Krev was also angry for missing out on an opportunity to use his concealed device. He would have used it when Sapphire had been pacing, but he was afraid the malicious bastard would have noticed and punished Yang.

"Now that's a shame," Sapphire continued, "you don't know what you're missing out on _and _you're going to hate what I'm about to say next…" he paused and nervously sighed, rather strange behaviour from the holding all the cards … well, one card in particular. "Sorry, I'm just anxious. I mean, to be talking to _you_, after all these years … it's extraordinary!"

"Just get on with it," the Blood Angel said in a bored tone.

"Ah, ah, ah," Sapphire responded with a disapproving wag of an index finger. "Remember my child, I'll kill your girlfriend."

Krev scowled, but remained silent.

"Good," Sapphire growled. "Now where was I? Oh yes, that's right….

"Once upon a time, in a land not-so-far-away, lived a group of likeminded people. Our tale, however, begins when they were separate, when they were living their own lives.

"For years they were citizens of this world and for _years_ they lived in either Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo or this kingdom, yet despite decades of being told that _violence _was the only solution to the Grimm and that living in the kingdoms was for their own protection, they were never blinded by any _mantra _or any _biased _views … they saw the truth.

"Like _you_ they believed there was more to the Grimm than simply '_they_ are the darkness and _we _are the light' and there was _certainly_ something wrongwith the people of this world. Krev, like you they saw how wrong it was to raise, no, _indoctrinate_ children into believing so many lies, but just like you they believed themselves alone in this vast, fractured world.

"That's where I came in.

"My child, I have lived for many centuries; seen the rise and fall of many kingdoms and the very _best_ – but most of all – the very _worst_ this world has to offer, therefore, when I had enough of the corruption … the deception … and the _violence_, I started my quest to find the others like me.

"As you can guess I succeeded in finding them, but in no way does that make me their leader. In fact, there was never any leadership, just a group of people who all had the same ambition in life, the same goal … and that was to unite Remnant. A difficult task as you can imagine, but we set out to create a solution anyway and it didn't take long.

"We spent years finding all the necessary information and practiced more … _advanced_ techniques of manipulating our Aura. We are _now_ a special group of people because we each possess an above average level of the mythic energy. But that's not all. We can all manipulate our individual Auras in a variety of unique, and sometimes unimaginable, ways.

"Some of us chose, long ago, to channel our Aura _back_ into _ourselves_ to increase the rate at which we heal, whilst others – me included – prefer to channel our Aura into strengthening our 'Guardians' and dramatically increasing our strength, endurance and agility.

"Krev, we are probably some the most powerful Aura wielders you will ever meet.

"Notice how I said 'some' though? That's because there are others in this world who _could_ rival our power, _others_ who have the potential to bring about a better, united world. And you know what, these people came into existence after we formulated our plan, the _grand_ and _beautiful _plot we set in motion almost two decades ago when we created something special, when we used all of our knowledge to execute a spellwhich defied destiny and created a new fate for this world … a spell which created _you_."

"Me?"

"Yes, but not just you of course," Sapphire continued, his voice filled with elation. "Krev, you are known as a Child of Fate, a being who currently possesses something we dubbed an 'Aura Resonance' and the ability to convert and manipulate it, but with time and practice you will not only possess a complete mastery of the Aura around and _within_ yourself, you will also be able to manipulate the Aura within _all _living things…

"Animals, plants … people."

"A spell, really?" the Blood Angel scoffed. "A bit farfetched don't you think?"

"I'm disappointed in you my child," Sapphire said with a playful frown, "so closed minded."

"Magic does not exist," Krev replied, announcing every word with hateful diction.

"But look at the world we live in," said Sapphire, adopting a desperate tone. "Look at what people are capable of if they unlock their Aura. We live in a world where magic exists all around us and emanates off _every_ inhabitant of this world, all thanks to a little substance called Dust."

"A marvellous thing Dust, don't you think?" Sapphire continued, his tone filled with confidence and hatred as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Thanks to our sources we learned all of its, and Remnant's, little secrets."

"And that's how you were able to make us," uttered Krev. "It's impossible for multiple people to wield identical Sembli, so I'm guessing your spell allowed you to defy the very laws of nature?"

"Precisely. The spell stripped away your potential Sembli and replaced it with another, but we also gave you – all of you – the capability to bendtheAura – locked and unlocked – within every man, woman and child on this planet." Sapphire paused and took a deep breath, preparing himself to speak what he must have considered a very important, if not life altering, statement.

"Don't you see it yet my child? If you join me, one day you and your siblings will possess enough power to succeed in uniting Remnant."

"Aura is the soul," Krev said angrily, quoting back his parent's teachings. "So that's your _grand_ solution?! _You_, and the members of whatever goddamn cult you're from, wish for _me _– and the others like me – to control everyone?!"

"Yes," purred Sapphire.

"So you wish for the … what, _Children _of Fate to enslave the world?"

"What you call 'enslavement', _we _call 'unification'," the Blue Knight explained. "Krev, listen to me, the corruption within governments would be gone and violence would no longer be needed; we would bring peace between humans and Faunus and finally end the eternal conflict which exists between us and the Grimm, allowing children to finally make their own choices in life.

"Krev, you know I'm right, you know your vision … _our _vision … your _tribe's _vision for this world would finally be realised.

"So my child, will you join us?"

All Krev wanted was to save Remnant from those who perpetuated its perverse society … but was this the right way? He believed they could all – Sapphire, his brethren and the Children of Fate – accomplish great things together, but would that mean sacrificing individuality and freewill?

_Of course it would! _Krev thought angrily. _But_ _what if this is my only chance? _

It wasn't like people were going to listen to him anyway, so perhaps it was time to accept the offer like the real Sapphire. Krev smiled to himself, thinking how nice it would be to finally live in world where people weren't blindly following a regime which used the Grimm as a method of control; a world where people ceased killing the mysterious creatures for entertainment, thereby ending the era of violence and indoctrination … everything he, his parents and the Wanderers always wanted.

_Besides, it would be great to finally live in a world where I wasn't alone anymore … where I'm not hated for believing something different. _

Krev took a deep breath in preparation for giving his answer, but then he heard a groan of pain. The Blood Angel sharply turned his attention to the girl next to him and a warm smile spread across his lips.

_I almost forgot about you._

Yang Xiao Long, the beautiful girl who actually listened … the only person who had ever shown true sympathy, true compassion, and perhaps something more towards the Blood Angel for many years.

"You make a persuasive argument," Krev whispered as he watched Yang tentatively turn her head, then met Sapphire's gaze once more to deliver his verdict. "But I won't be joining you."

Sapphire pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're so stubborn … just like your parents."

"I knew it wasn't a coincidence," Krev breathed, thinking back to the original mention of his parents. "You knew them, didn't you?"

"Yes, we were all good friends once." Sapphire studied the Blood Angel with a sympathetic glint in his eyes and an amused half smile. "You're in pain my child."

"Stop calling me that." A storm of emotions were plaguing Krev's soul; mourning the fallen whilst feeling a burning desire to kill the man before him.

"Perhaps you aren't _technically_ my child, but by performing the spell we became kindred, therefore, I know your strengths and weakness … and I certainly know when you're in pain, like a biological mother or father. Like right now, you're confused and hurt – you wish to know if the man and woman who raised you within the Wanderer tribe really were your parents and, if so, how does this allfit together? Well, our little fairy tale isn't over yet."

"Then go ahead," Krev sternly replied. "Tell me everything."

"Oh I won't be telling you everything," Sapphire mocked in a cheery tone, "but I will tell you _this_: Your parents were my brethren once, my _friends_, and just like the rest of us they were patient and had a child.

"Before you ask, _yes_. The spell required fresh, untainted souls of new-borns or toddlers, so we all had children, yet our group wasn't comprised of happy couples. Your parents were the exception; the rest of us were forced to have offspring with partners who obviously wouldn't have liked the idea of their child being used for our cause, so…"

"You took them."

"Yes, we took them. We mislead our partners and took away the children when they least expected it. A horrible act, I know, and so did karma."

A smile crept across Krev's lips. "So what, or _who_, was your spanner in the works?"

"Your parents," Sapphire uttered disapprovingly. "Shortly after you were granted your magnificent gifts and the new destiny was set in motion, they took all of you away and gave you to people we simply could not track. Brave people, those men and women who took you in and raised you as their own, for they were willing to spend the rest of their lives running. Honourable, yet misguided."

He paused and glared at Krev, awaiting a response. When none was given, he continued in a more aggressive tone. "Do you know what I find most abhorrent though my child? It's the fact they changed your names … it's the _fact _they were willing to _lie _and to _deprive_ you of your fate!" Sapphire turned away and hung his head in sorrow, giving Krev the perfect opportunity he required to reach around his back and press the button protruding from his belt.

"They took everything we had fought to create and perverted it using deception," Sapphire hissed.

"But do you know what I find assuming, Krev?" he asked, turning on the spot to face the Blood Angel. "It's the fact your mummy and daddy made a fatal flaw, and that was keeping _you_."

Krev had returned his hand to his side – the ranting Sapphire was none the wiser.

"So they really _were_ my parents," Krev breathed, but his respire was not that of happiness.

The Blood Angel had learned in a rather short period of time his parents were in fact his biological parents (a fact he never thought he would ever doubt), but he had also learned his mother and father had been members of some twisted cult and – if Sapphire was telling the truth – friends with the madman.

"Yep," Sapphire said angrily, his tone becoming more sardonic with every word. "They really were your parents, hence their decision to flee with you and join the Wanderer tribe. Did the tribe ever know of your destiny? Perhaps not, but they wouldn't have cared anyway. As you know, the Wanderers were kind and forward-thinking, so they would have seen a desperate family and decided to take you in regardless.

"But ask yourself _this_: Why join the Wanderer tribe in the first place? Well that's because they were a tribe which moved around quite frequently and left very little behind, this – in addition to their beliefs – made them the perfect choice for a hiding place."

"You obviously found them," Krev said calmly, barely controlling his fury. "Although, I do suspect it took a long time and you only succeeded after chasing many rumours – a rather frustrating task."

"Oh it was," agreed Sapphire, "you have that right. I knew they would keep you for themselves and I knew they joined the Wanderers, but they weren't easy to find – the Wanderers weren't exactly known for being easy to find. No, for years I – as you said – followed countless rumours and essentially hunted ghosts until, eventually, I caught up with the tribe outside of Atlas just over a year ago. You were not there of course, so I had myself a lovely little chat with mummy and daddy about your whereabouts."

Krev wanted to throw caution to the wind and strike, but he needed to keep Sapphire talking.

"I'm assuming they told you nothing?"

"They were unyielding," he growled, "_stubborn _to the very end, so I killed them – _all_ of them– before continuing my search. Oh Krev, I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it, how much a savoured making your parents scream."

Fuelled by Sapphire's final, twisted remark the Blood Angel emitted a horrific bellow of rage and reached for the hilts of his swords, but before he could even take hold a yellow-brown blur shot past his peripheral vision. Krev realised in that moment he had been so preoccupied with focusing on Sapphire, he had forgotten to keep at least one eye on Yang. Apparently her Aura had healed her injuries and she had regained enough strength to attack.

Krev would have joined Yang in the assault, but what happened next required a more … long-range solution.

Yang threw an incredibly powerful right hook, but Sapphire intercepted the strike by raising his left forearm, which was covered in energy to protect his limb. With her attack ceased, Sapphire quickly gripped the hilt of his sword, drew the blade and swung _Jekla _down in a vertical arc. Having been prepared for such an attack, it was now her turn to block his counterattack using the gantlet on her right forearm, which was successful, but Sapphire's body was stronger now, therefore, he brought the blade down with such force she was pushed to the ground.

Yang buckled under the sudden pressure of his sword and was painfully smashed against the stonework, her winded form lain before Sapphire.

She wasn't badly injured and could have easily of got up to continue fighting, but Sapphire coated one of his legs in blue threads and brought the bottom of his armoured boot down onto her stomach, causing Yang to cry out in agony as she was driven into the masonry.

Sapphire kept his foot on Yang and raised his sword, taking the hilt in both hands in order to deliver the final blow.

"You interfering little bi – !" he cried in absolute fury, his muscles tensing to begin the process of swinging _Jekla_, however; he was interrupted by a beam of crimson light striking him square in the chest and sending him ricocheting across the ground.

Krev would have struck Sapphire using a larger beam to cause more damage, but with Yang's close vicinity he chose not to risk such an attack. Instead he opted for pushing the Blue Knight away from Yang and followed it with an assault, conjuring crystal wings and taking flight.

Krev wisped across the ground like a spectre, his feet barely inches from the surface as he separated the hilts to form the twin blades of _Crimson Force_. When the gap was closed, Krev unleashed a flurry of slashes which had defeated Sapphire the previous day, but having easily regained some composure faster than anyone Krev had ever seen, the perversion of his friend easily blocked every strike, a devilish smile playing on his lips.

Metal and crystal struck the giant sword, but no matter how much force he put behind every hit, Sapphire remained unmoved. Krev even turned on the spot and swung with both blades simultaneously to add more force, but this attack failed and instead locked them into a grudge match.

"You could easily defeat me, you know?" uttered Sapphire as sparks flew off their interlocked swords. "All you need to do is tap into the full extent of your power."

"Well if it's okay with you," Krev growled his reply. "I think I'll refuse."

"Shame."

Sapphire threw his head forward and his forehead connected with the bridge of Krev's nose. Luckily for the Blood Angel his Guardian protected his face from any major damage, but he still felt the impact and couldn't stop his head from jolting backwards.

With his opponent temporality stunned, Sapphire pushed against Krev's swords and forced the Blood Angel back a couple of paces. He then kicked out, the bottom of his armoured boot striking Krev in the stomach, winding and sending Krev spiralling through the air. Sapphire promptly pushed out his free hand and sent a cluster of threads chasing his enemy. The cluster hit Krev and coated his body, suspending him mid-flight. Sapphire gave the Blood Angel a confident smirk before thrusting his splayed hand towards the ground, commanding the threads to slam Krev downwards, the impact cracking the masonry. Sapphire didn't stop there. Making a fist he pulled back his arm, dragging Krev's limp body to him – like reeling in a fish – and, when the Blood Angel was in range, swung _Jekla_.

Seeing the massive blade hurtling towards him Krev held up both parts of _Crimson Force_ haphazardly in front of his torso, protecting himself from Sapphire's blade, but not the impact. Due to the angle of the attack, the Blood Angel was sent spiralling head under heels.

When he was several feet behind his opponent, Krev spread his crystal wings and caught the air, allowing him to gracefully place his heels on the concrete and focus his hazy vision on the blue blur coming towards him.

It was Sapphire sprinting towards him at an incredible speed; the corrupted Blue Knight was not travelling at a rate faster than the human or Faunus eye could see, but his pace was still extraordinary, not leaving enough time for Krev to even react before a powerful fist connected with his jaw, lifting his feet off the ground. Thankfully the Blood Angel's tongue was nowhere near his teeth, otherwise he would have bitten clean through the piece of flesh, however; a sudden, mind numbing pain shot through his skull and struck his brain upon impact, his bottom set of teeth slamming into his top set.

Krev believed he was going to shoot off into the distance, but when he was a few feet into the air Sapphire reached out, wrapped a hand around one of his ankles and threw the Blood Angel down like a hammer, smashing the crimson-themed swordsman onto the masonry, destroying his wings. Krev couldn't help but cry out as a sharp pain rushed up his spine, groaning as Sapphire yanked on his captured leg, dragging him across the cracked stonework to place a foot on his sternum.

With the Blood Angel literally under his boot, Sapphire leaned over and gave his 'child' a gleeful sneer.

"You might be stubborn, but by the end of tonight you will submit – you _will _take the first step!"

Krev tightened his grip on the sword in his right hand and used what remained of his dying focus to manipulate the Aura – his Aura – surrounding the blade, transforming the mythic energy, and subsequently his weapon, into a magnificent crystal hammer. With a powerful instrument of destruction in hand he swung the hammer and struck Sapphire, shattering the summoned weapon whilst sending the perverted Blue Knight reeling.

Free from his enemy's crushing, and most certainly literal, foothold, Krev swiftly got to his feet as Sapphire corrected himself and his heels came to a grinding halt, the Blood Angel making sure to use the window of opportunity to transform _Crimson Force _and unleash a maximum yield beam of blood-red energy.

To a bystander the sight would have breath taking; a crimson pillar destroying the very air as it screamed towards its target: a particle of insignificant dust in comparison to its might, however; Sapphire – or at least the person now wearing his body – was becoming extraordinarily powerful due to, what Krev assumed to be, the gradual unlocking and comprehension of the powers each Child of Fate possessed, therefore, when the beam was about to strike, Sapphire instinctively raised his hand and splayed his fingers, as if he already knew he could will into existence a barrier (or perhaps a dome) powerful enough to not only shield himself from the beam, but slice it as well, for when it struck, smaller, more streamlined torrents of energy washed over the barrier and devastated a section of the Emerald Forest beyond.

When the hurricane ceased, and the world fell silent, Sapphire gave a satisfied smirk as he closed his outstretched hand and his protector faded away like a flickering hologram.

Krev was underwhelmed by the current development, so the instance his path was clear he spread out a new pair of demonic wings and rushed forward, turning _Crimson Force _back into sickles as he swept across the ground.

Sapphire smiled like a Cheshire cat as the Blood Angel approached, reaching over his shoulder to grip _Jekla_'s hilt. Krev might have been stubborn and unyielding when it came to using his full potential, but even he was being blinded by rage and the hatred he felt for his opponent. This was evident from Krev's incapacity to register his enemy's readiness, therefore, he was close to breaking. _Close _being the appropriate word of course, for the once Blue Knight still needed to commit one last sin to take back his child, so when the Blood Angel was merely three feet away, Sapphire unsheathed, charged and swung _Jekla _in one motion.

Krev's eyes widened when he saw _Jekla _– an eight foot broadsword – coming towards him, especially since blue threads enveloped the entire blade. Startled and in desperate need to protect himself, Krev brought his wings forward around his torso and slammed them together, creating a bladed heart to act as his shield. A commendable effort, but Sapphire's energy reinforced (or 'charged') weapon shattered the crystals like glass, leaving Krev vulnerable, however; Sapphire did not use the opportunity to kill the Child of Fate and instead reached through cloud of dissipating crystals, catching his stunned opponent by tightly wrapping a hand around Krev's throat.

"You may not wish to use your power to defeat me nor protect yourself, but what about her?" Sapphire growled the question, watching as the Blood Angel gasped for breath and desperately clawed, to no avail, at the hand slowly choking him to death. "I have seen variants of her Semblance before, you know? I've heard them called so many different names: Cost, Agony, Vengeance, but my personal favourite has to be Penance. Surely you've heard of Penance, Krev? You must receive pain in order to give it back ten, twenty, fifty, potentially one-hundred times stronger? But I wonder if she can 'take the hit', as they say, when she's unconscious. Let's see, shall we?"

Sapphire brutishly threw Krev to the ground, forcing the Blood Angel to release his swords. With the stage set he launched himself into the air as the original Sapphire had done before at the docks, bringing _Jekla_ down the instance his feet touched the masonry to sever the stagnant blonde in half, however his blade rebounded off a disk comprised of blood-red crystals only inches from her sleeping, unaware face.

"I'm proud of you, Krev," he said with a beaming smile, straightening his back as he turned on the spot and casually brandished his giant armament, "you finally – "

Sapphire's smile quickly developed into a grimace as he saw Krev standing several feet away with one of his swords aimed at him like a big wand.

"Still using your weapon as a catalyst for your abilities," Sapphire uttered, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Such a shame."

Krev was leaning forward to one side, panting as a stream of blood ran down the side of his jaw. He looked barely able to stand, let alone hold a heavy weapon steady or participate in their conflict.

"So that's what this has all been about," Krev breathed angrily, lowering his sword, "the mention of my parents, attacking me and threatening Yang – you've been trying to antagonise me, _goading _me into using the powers I possess, but why? _Why_ is it so important for me to use the 'full extent' of my power?"

"Well I would just give you a demonstration," Sapphire replied, "but I'm still getting used to this body's capabilities, so this is the only way for you to understand."

"Understand?" Krev spat. "I understand everything!"

"Oh but you don't," Sapphire said menacingly. "You need to realise that it's not only your birth right to change the world, but you also possess the power to do so."

"Sapphire, I do not doubt the power which resides within me. I do, however, understand we fight for opposing causes. Therefore, I will _never _submit and use any other of the abilities you _cursed _me with, for you wish my soul corrupted by absolute power so I may be persuaded to play God."

"Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?" Sapphire mocked. "Granted _I _laid it on a bit thick myself earlier when I tried to make out our mission to be some 'holycause', but you my child … positively poetic."

"So you know the so-called 'New Destiny' is wrong?" the Blood Angel exhaled, astonished by his enemy's confession.

"It's questionable," he grinned, "but necessary. The only way to save this pitiful, self-destroying world is to eliminate the one thing which causes _all _the problems … Freewill."

Krev bared his teeth in a sneer which conveyed only hatred for his enemy.

"You truly desire to eliminate individualism itself," the Blood Angel snarled. "You wish to homogenise the world and take control by taking away what makes us people, so I'm not only refusing to help you … I'm now promising to fight you, so I may defend what countless before me have died for to protect."

"All of us?" Sapphire asked dryly, his tone becoming sympathetic as he continued. "Oh my poor, foolish Krev, you have so much to learn, so much to understand. You say you will never join me, but there is a basic truth you must comprehend in order to survive this world…

"A paragon of virtue and inner strength does not exist, for every man, woman and child has their breaking point, a time when they would be willing to do _anything_ – murder, thieve, even torture – if it meant granting some deep seeded, soul consuming desire, gaining riches or perhaps to ensure a new, grand design stays on course or to repair a mistake."

Krev felt as if, no, he _knew_ with those last two statements, the megalomaniac was referring to himself.

"Even _you _have a breaking point," Sapphire angrily continued, "a time when you would do _anything _to achieve an obsessive goal … and I will find it. In Sapphire's case I promised a new world, but you have refused that, so I must try another tactic. I assure you, even if I have to drive you to the brink of death, reduce this school to rubble and make your whore_ scream_, I _will_ break you!"

Sapphire charged forward with the tip of his sickle dragging across the ground, the metal grinding against the stonework causing sparks to erratically dance in his wake.

Krev could feel his wounds healing as his strength slowly returned, knowing from all his previous experience the feeling of his Aura working to repair the damage that had been dealt to his body, but he knew the repair wasn't acting fast enough. Krev knew if his opponent reached him before his Aura levels had, essentially, recharged and his body had recovered, he wouldn't stand a chance.

_To Be Continued…_


	11. Ch10: Once Upon A Time, Part 2

**A/N: Hello again!**

**Okay, before you begin let me just say one thing…**

**This fic is merely the beginning of a planned trilogy. Chapter 9 includes exposition relating to Krev's past and purpose, Sapphire's actions and the reason why these fanfics is called the 'Children of Fate' series (and why the main body of my penname is ChildOfFate) This chapter is not only important for the Defying Fate story , but the entirety of the planned series. **

**Anyway, enough of my unsubtle attempt to convey the message '**_**If you haven't read the last chapter, then you'll be mightily confused**_**' and say this instead: I've included a **_**'previously'**_** which picks up a few paragraphs before the conclusion to the previous chapter in order to jog people's memories. **

**So, without further ado … enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Once Upon A Time, Part 2**

_Previously…_

"A paragon of virtue and inner strength does not exist, for every man, woman and child has their breaking point, a time when they would be willing to do _anything_ – murder, thieve, even torture – if it meant granting some deep seeded, soul consuming desire, gaining riches or perhaps to ensure a new, grand design stays on course or to repair a mistake."

Krev felt as if, no, he _knew_ with those last two statements, the megalomaniac was referring to himself.

"Even _you _have a breaking point," Sapphire angrily continued, "a time when you would do _anything _to achieve an obsessive goal … and I will find it. In Sapphire's case I promised a new world, but you have refused that, so I must try another tactic. I assure you, even if I have to drive you to the brink of death, reduce this school to rubble and make your whore_ scream_, I _will_ break you!"

Sapphire charged forward with the tip of his sickle dragging across the ground, the metal grinding against the stonework causing sparks to erratically dance in his wake.

Krev could feel his wounds healing as his strength slowly returned, knowing from all his previous experience the feeling of his Aura working to repair the damage that had been dealt to his body, but he knew the repair wasn't acting fast enough. Krev knew if his opponent reached him before his Aura levels had, essentially, recharged and his body had recovered, he wouldn't stand a chance.

_Now…_

"Sapphire?"

Upon hearing a familiar voice the former Blue Knight ceased his approach and turned, missing Krev's own sinister, mocking smile as his eyes scrutinised Amber, Valery and Silver standing a few feet away.

"Sapphire, what's going on?" Valery asked as she looked between the two leaders and the unconscious girl, concern written across her face.

Sapphire gave her a mischievous grin, impressed by Krev's ability to drag his teammates into _their _conflict.

"How did you get them here?" Sapphire enquired as he turned his attention back to Krev, his grin never fading as he saw Krev holding up a small, rectangular box between thumb and forefinger.

"Do you remember the time we – I and my team that is – were sent to Menagerie?" Krev enquired.

"I do."

"Good, then you remember – as Sapphire would – we were sent there to eliminate fully grown Death Stalkers who'd taken a particular interest in a large village. An easy assignment, wouldn't you think?"

"But it wasn't," Sapphire replied. "It was Hell for you."

"You are correct," Krev paused for a moment, readying himself to explain why he possessed the device in his grasp. "As you know, Menagerie was the island selected to be the … 'new home', as they called it, for most – if not all – of Remnant's Faunus population. This proposed exile to Menagerie was, of course, why the Faunus Rights Revolution, or if you prefer, 'Faunus War' began; a brutal conflict which still exists today in many ways, but at least Faunus can travel to, and live within, the four kingdoms freely without the fear of legal punishment.

"All this supposed change, however, does not mean Menagerie, despite its offensive name and intended purpose, was never inhabited. There are many Faunus who live on Menagerie, Faunus who choose to live there to avoid association with the White Fang and the racial conflicts which still obviously exist within the kingdoms, but they _do_ still harbour a great deal of hatred towards humans. I don't particularity blame them and I would never ask them to relinquish their loathing, but it made our job difficult.

"I know, as Sapphire and I agreed at the time, that it did seem rather stupid to send four _humans _to an epicentre of anti-human idles, but we knew why Ironwood sent us. It was because of his now-dead favouritism towards me, because he knew I and the others could succeed in our primary objective: exterminate the Death Stalkers. Now we both know that particular Grimm can be quite difficult to defeat, especially when in a group, fully grown and they're ready for a fight. You see, when we eventually fought them, the Death Stalkers separated us, forced me and my team to lose contact with each other for hours.

"Eventually we defeated our opponents on four separate, very distant fronts, the battles concluding at different times. I finished first, so I looked for my team by flying over the vast forests which surrounded the village. The canopy of trees and plant life was too dense to see what was transpiring beneath and even seemed to absorb sound, so I was logical about the situation and returned to the village hoping to find my team had themselves returned.

"They had not, so when I arrived I was faced with villagers who claimed to have no idea where my teammates were; villagers who were appreciative and encouraged me to 'sit and eat' with them while I waited after I told them about my success against a horde of Death Stalkers.

"I was grateful, but wary of their sudden bout of kindness for a multitude of reasons. There I was, sitting amongst people who didn't like my me and my team, let alone my entire race, therefore, I feared they were keeping something hidden from me, that something had been done to my teammates and the Faunus were getting some kind of _perverse_ satisfaction from watching me worry.

"I was growing paranoid and calculated my best chance for survival should I, or the Faunus, begin a fight. Thankfully I didn't need to execute any of my various strategies for defeating our hosts, for Amber returned. As you know she was promptly followed by Val and then Silver, ending my torment. For Sapphire this was where the tale ended, but what I never told Sapphire was the details of our discussion which transpired after we had all eaten to regain some strength.

"Apparently we had all spent time looking for each other in addition to ending our conflicts at different times. We agreed it was lucky we could each handle our individual battles and admitted we had wasted time searching and worrying. But most all we thought about the consequences should we be faced with an opponent too powerful to fight alone. What if we were in immediate danger because of our surroundings and we couldn't use a Scroll, for whatever reason, to contact each other? Therefore, to ease our concerns and ensure our safety, Amber decided to whip up _this_."

"Ah," Sapphire breathed. "She developed a homing device."

"Precisely," Krev replied. "A device to be used after spending a prolonged, and certainly unplanned, amount of time away from each other or if we believe the opponent we face is impossible to defeat independently."

"Clever," the madman purred. "But what I like the most is the fact you never shared Amber's little invention with Sapphire. What, didn't you trust NOVA?"

"I don't trust anyone," the Blood Angel confessed. "Thankfully I was able to persuade my team, even Val, to keep our homing devices a secret. It minimises risks."

When Amber first proposed building the devices he was more than a little wary. Krev had, at the time, thought about the consequences of possessing such technology and settled on an enemy ambush being the highest risk. He realised that if an enemy was able to steal one of their homing devices or transmit on the same frequency, then they might be able to draw Team KAVS into a trap. This concern, however, died down when Amber reassured him that her device would be 'unstealable' and the frequency would be quite unique and one-hundred percent secure. Sure he believed her, but Krev decided to persuade his teammates not to divulge the existence of the devices to any member of Team NOVA or any other student.

The fewer people who owned or even knew of their existence, the smaller the risk.

"Will somebody please answer me?!" Valery cried out in frustration and terror. "Will somebody please explain _why _Krev looks like he's about to faint, or why … oh my God, is that Yang? Is that Yang in the ground? Is … is she okay? Oh God … what's, what's happening here?"

"Sapphire?" Silver tentatively enquired. "If Krev won't answer, will you? Can you please explain why there's blood on you and why … and why –?"

"And why you're speaking so differently?" Amber sternly interjected, her tone informing Krev that even if she didn't realise it herself yet, she knew something wasn't right with the Blue Knight.

Sapphire glanced at the students and threw them a playful grin, then returned his gaze to study Krev with a broad smile as he slid _Jekla _into the sheath on his back and chucked under his breath.

"Now you really shouldn't have got them involved," Sapphire growled, his statement frightening the Blood Angel because it portrayed his next move.

Krev desired to warn his friends of an impending attack, but before he could even breathe the first syllable, the Blue Knight pushed out an open hand and sent a tangled web of threads towards him – a web which struck every inch of Krev's body and rendered him unconscious.

* * *

The atmosphere in their new, not-so-temporary dorm room had been tense to say the least. After the second argument between KAVS' leader and his partner to have taken place within the space of two days (the first argument having lasted through the night), Krev departed for an evening alone with his thoughts whilst Valery stayed.

The atmosphere, the overall feeling of the room, had been tense because Val, despite how much Silver tried to speak to her about their day with the first year students, refused to hold any sort of lengthy, friendly conversations. Amber would have helped and spoken with Silver to attempt lessening the tension in the room, but she was worried about their leader, _concerned _something bad was happening.

Her concern was sadly not misplaced.

A few hours after Krev's departure they received the signal, their individual homing devices beeping to indicate one of their teammates was in danger. Alarmed by the activation of the devices, Amber promptly traced the signal to a spot situated behind a building at Beacon Academy. In theory their leader was close, but the three students did not possess any speed-rated Sembli, so they had to rely on their own swiftness to reach Krev.

It took several minutes for Amber, Valery and Silver to reach the Blood Angel, and when they arrived the three students were greeted with a confusing sight: Sapphire looked absolutely furious as he spoke to his fellow leader in an icy, precise tone – not like Sapphire at all – whilst Krev, the man who'd called for help, appeared to be injured and his lidded eyes conveyed exhaustion, but also pride as he told the story of how Team KAVS came into the possession of the homing devices.

Krev's injuries caught her attention first, but the way Sapphire was acting, the way he was speaking, that was the anomaly which distracted Amber, preventing her from noticing Ruby's sister half-buried in the ground until Valery began to panic. The mace wielder's reaction was understandable, for they had entered into a conflict which transcended any sparring match between friends…

This was a fight to the death.

"Now you really shouldn't have got them involved," Sapphire growled, his words chilling Amber's very soul.

Krev looked frightened by his statement and looked as if he were about to speak, but before he uttered a single word the Blue Knight pushed out a spayed hand and unleashed a powerful wave of threads, an attack which knocked Krev off his feet and sent him hurtling backwards through the air. Amber was taken aback by the attack, not because of how violent it was or the fact Sapphire had lashed out, but because she had seen Krev counter such waves in the past.

Something was definitely wrong, and this was only confirmed further by Sapphire's next action.

Before Krev even struck the ground dozens of feet away, the Blue Knight gave a dismissive, flamboyant twirl with his other hand. Amber was confused as to what he was trying to achieve, but then she saw clusters of threads form across the front and back of Sapphire's torso, taking hold of the sentries and wrenching them from his body. For a moment she thought _Jern Swarm_'s might was about to be used against Krev, but she was instantly proved incorrect when the twelve disks separated into three groups of four and positioned themselves into diamond formations, their barrels pointed towards her, Valery and Silver.

There were four sentries per student, sentries which fired a heartbeat later.

Seeing the blue illumination Amber activated her Semblance, allowing her to witness the firing taking place in slow motion. This, thankfully, gave her the time she needed to take a calculated step to one side and dodge the beams. She sometimes wished her Semblance bestowed the ability to move faster, but it didn't, only the ability to see events at a slower rate, therefore, as the beams passed by she was able to watch as Silver drew _Moonlight _and used its indestructible edge to slice the intertwined energy streams in half. Amber wished she saw such reflexes from Val, but the mace wielder failed to react in time and was struck by the beams, sending her flying across the desolate region.

Her perception returned to normal the instance _Jern Swarm _ceased firing, an occurrence which seemed perfectly timed … and perhaps it was, for Sapphire came into view in front of Silver and threw an almighty punch, his knuckles connecting with the bridge of his nose and the bottom of his forehead. Sapphire was not known for possessing an incredible amount of strength, but his attack sent Silver ricocheting across the ground, his head, arms, legs, elbows and knees rapidly striking the masonry before finally stopping and falling unconscious with – what was safe to assume after so many violent collisions – a significantly reduced Guardian.

Sapphire immediately turned his attention to her, his lips curled into an arrogant half-smile as he swung his other fist from right to left for a reversed punched – like backhanding someone, but with a fist. In order to protect herself Amber activated her Semblance and watched as Sapphire's fist came towards her left cheek, biding her time, waiting to take a step back at the right moment. When his fist was millimetres from her face, Amber stepped back, her eyes locked on his tightly closed hand as it passed by. A successful evasion, but the delay she could put on time for her own eyes alone ran out, so she was unable to dodge the punch which came from the same fist which struck Silver. In fact, it was the same kind of punch, for Sapphire's knuckles collided with her nose and upper lip.

The force of the impact sent Amber hurtling away, but she refused to be knocked out like her teammates and leave Krev and Yang vulnerable, so she corrected herself mid-flight and landed correctly, the soles of her boots grinding across the ground as she came to a complete stop.

Amber's head was pounding, but this did not prevent her from deducing an important fact…

"You're not Sapphire, are you?" she asked, bringing both of her arms down in unison to activate, but not release, her crossbows.

Like the Blood Angel she had known Sapphire for years and knew him to be a kind, noble soul, _not _a man who enjoyed violence and displayed arrogance.

"Well look at you, clever little girl," he breathed sardonically. "I'm impressed. Just like Krev you figured it out, _realised _I am not the man you once knew."

"Then who are you?"

"Oh I might not be him, but please my dear friend … call me Sapphire." The Blue Knight, or whoever he or she really was, fixed their eyes on Amber's with a lustful glare. "You know, out of all the people I thought I might have to face whilst here, in Vale, _you _were the only one who ever really concerned me.

"Sure Krev's powerful, but he's holding himself back and I know how he ticks; Valery and Silver, Electricity and Crescent Blades, are Sembli I can defeat; and as for Orion, Violet and Ashley … they were never going to stand a chance. But Perception, _your _Semblance, an ability that allows its wielder to slow down their own awareness of time … how I was meant to defeat you, let alone land a single hit?

"Well as you can imagine I had a lot of time to think as I walked to this school, _time_ I used to access all of Sapphire's memories of your battles and study them. I was trying to find a weakness. Amber, I'm asking you now as a friend and require your honest opinion … do you think I succeeded?"

Sapphire adorned a mischievous grin and snapped his fingers, the action commanding the twelve sentries floating somewhere in the distance behind him to take-up a new formation.

The three diamonds were dismantled and the sentries swiftly travelled through the air, forming a large ring in front of Sapphire. It was one of his more common formations for _Jern Swarm_, so Amber felt ready to counter or evade his next attack, however; this time the giant halo was spinning extremely fast and the twelve independent disks became a blur, becoming one shape the instance before firing. Because of the new take on a common attack the navy coloured beams wrapped around each other and merged, creating one magnificently powerful energy beam.

Amber would have applauded his innovation had the beam not been roaring towards her.

Not wanting to use her Semblance, and subsequently some Aura, the orange-themed girl punched the air with her right fist, her movement causing the half of _Burning Star _on her forearm to let loose a counterattack. Her amber-coloured beam collided with Sapphire's, the similarities in their energies negating each other midway between the two opponents.

Seconds later the deafening cry spawned from the collision ceased as the two opposing beams vanished, allowing Amber to see that Sapphire was no longer standing behind the now-immobile pieces of _Jern Swarm_.

Amber wondered where the Blue Knight was, but then she saw him out of the corner of her left eye. Sapphire was rapidly dashing, _no_, he was _flying _towards her! Sure he was leaning forward and it appeared as if he were running, but the fact a cocoon of blue threads had coated his entire body told Amber one thing…

Sapphire had essentially used his Semblance against _himself_ in order to possess the ability to fly.

The speed of his approach stunned Amber, but the shock didn't prevent the orange-themed girl from activating her own Semblance the moment Sapphire threw his punch. Amber stepped to one side as his fist grazed past her nose, pushing out her left fist as his massive, glowing frame passed her. For Amber, time returned to normal as _Burning Star _fired and unleashed a powerful beam at point blank range, the pillar of energy engulfing his entire body, annihilating his potentially protective coating as it pushed him away.

_Burning Star _ceased firing, allowing Sapphire's limp body to harshly collide and skid across the masonry. He wasn't dead, Amber could feel it, so she aimed both crossbows at whatever wall existed behind her and fired, the torrents of energy – both double her own size – propelling her forward. Amber stopped the firing a heartbeat later and allowed the momentum to carry her, using the seconds before she would be upon Sapphire to transform her weapon.

Amber jolted her arms and the crossbows detached, springing forward. She caught the two halves out of instinct and held them tightly for a moment, confirming she had successfully gripped them without the use of her Semblance before twirling them in her hands.

Imagine a drummer twirling their sticks, _that _was the movement which triggered the transformation of her weapon; the handles snapped back, making the mechanical crossbows streamlined, and amber-coloured blades made from pure, solid energy rose from the now-hilts, completing the transformation of _Burning Star_ into its third form.

Amber gracefully landed by Sapphire's feet and threw down her broadswords, aiming to deal a fatal, vertical blow, but her swords were halted by an invisible force. Amber couldn't see, her long, blonde hair having fallen into her line-of-sight due to the velocity of her attack, so she flicked her hair to one side and was shocked by the sight before her: Sapphire, the man who had been laying still one instant, was now on his feet and holding _Jekla _horizontally in front of his torso, his sword barring her path.

"So the herald Photon Swords _finally _make an appearance," the Blue Knight mocked, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Infuriated by his sheer arrogance the orange-themed girl lashed out, slowly her awareness of events as she unleashed a flurry of attacks. Amber was hoping to exploit any split-second fault in Sapphire's defences, readying herself to make the slightest adjustments in her swipes to circumnavigate _Jekla _and land crucial hits, but Sapphire parried each and every one, twirling and blocking with his broadsword at just the right moments.

The Blue Knight did not possess any ability that could emulate hers, but his reaction speed was incredible and allowed him to hold out long enough for the effect of her Semblance to disappear once again, the unpreventable, automatic deactivation of her Semblance occurring as both of her blades locked with his.

Sapphire threw her a victorious smile and kicked out, ramming the sole of his armoured boot into her abdomen. The impact winded Amber and sent her bouncing across the ground, but her journey across the stonework was not as violent as Silver's, therefore, Amber was able to correct herself enough during mid-ricochet to drive both of her swords into the ground and come to a grinding halt.

Amber was enraged and eager to continue her battle. She harshly looked up from her crouched position to gauge where her opponent was and found, rather unsurprisingly, that he was standing twenty feet away and still giving her an insufferable, victorious smile. She wanted to wipe the smug grin off his face, but before Amber could even move a muscle, _Jern Swarm _was upon her, the twelve disks taking up a continuously rotating dome formation.

She frantically looked between the sentries, waiting for the first one to illuminate. The surface of the sentry hovering just above her glowed navy blue, telling Amber it was time to slow her perception. It fired, beginning an assault where the disks unleashed streamlined, short beams in a random sequence – an attack most would find impossible to withstand, but Amber's Semblance allowed her to observe the beams which travelled through the air in slow motion and block them with the wide surface of her swords.

Amber looked as if she would hold out, but the effect of her Semblance naturally wavered and time returned to normal, therefore, it became impossible for the orange-themed girl to judge where the attacks would go and soon – a heartbeat later in fact – she was overwhelmed, the beams shoving her around on the spot as they rapidly struck random points on her body. Only when she was unconscious did Sapphire halt the onslaught with the wave of a hand, allowing Amber to slump to the ground with an exhausted groan.

With Krev's teammate defeated, Sapphire began to pace forward jubilantly.

"Amber Stone, the girl who conquered the secrets of _Crimson Force _and used her newfound knowledge to vastly increase the power of _Burning Star_. I do applaud you Amber, for you are indeed a technological genius and possess one of this world's most useful Sembli, but even with all your technology and Perception, you still have a weakness…" he paused, savouring the moment as pieces of _Jern Swarm _drifted from his path "…and I have exploited it."

Sapphire halted and stared at the student at his feet, smiling broadly as he took hold of _Jekla_'s hilt and slowly drew the broadsword. He was going to love slicing Amber in half, but before he could even raise his blade something struck his back, causing him to lurch forward. The attack did not hurt, but it irritated him to no end because he knew what had smashed against his nearly indestructible Guardian.

Annoyed, Sapphire turned on his heel to glare at the culprit, but his icy scowl was quickly replaced by shock. Silver, the student who had fired one of crescent-shaped arcs at Sapphire, was upon him and in the process of throwing down his katana in a wide sweep. Out of instinct alone the Blue Knight raised his sword and blocked the attack, his eyes locking with Silver's disdainful glower.

"Why are you doing this, Sapphire?!" cried Silver, groaning from his effort to break Sapphire's defence.

Silver had grown accustomed to, and was known for, only using one hand in combat, but like the samurai of myth he now pressed against Sapphire's unyielding blade with _both _hands firmly grasping _Moonlight_'s hilt, informing the Blue Knight that his defence was unbreakable to his new opponent – knowledge which brought a pleased half-smile to his lips.

Wishing to deal with his most recent annoyance quickly, Sapphire pushed forward with only a fraction of his newfound strength. Silver could not withstand the Blue Knight's power and stumbled back, but he was able to find his footing again as _Jekla _came in for an attack, rooting his feet to the ground and blocking the giant blade with his katana. Because of Silver's own ability to successfully block a number of enemy strikes they entered into a traditional swordfight, both parties displaying evenly matched skill.

* * *

Krev awakened to the sound of clashing metal and a throbbing headache. For a moment his mind could not, or perhaps, _chose_ not to recall everything that had occurred, but he forced himself to remember, _forced _his mind to recount his conversation with Sapphire, the arrival of his team and how he was knocked unconscious…

_My team! _

The Blood Angel felt dizzy and his head pounded every second, but he forced himself to sit up and look around. He immediately noticed _Jern Swarm _in a dome formation hovering above an unconscious Amber, but they weren't firing, so they weren't his immediate concern. Nor was Valery, who lying so far away near the wall of the uninhabited building that she looked like a white blob. It was Sapphire, his enemy, who concerned him the most. Where was he? What was he doing? Krev was worried in case the maniacal and undeniably powerful bastard was about to attack, but he wasn't.

After his apparent disorientation passed, Krev turned his attention to the source of the battle cries and clashing metal and saw that Silver was keeping Sapphire preoccupied.

_Good, now all I need to do is form a plan to take him by sur – _

Before the Blood Angel could finish his thought he heard a loud groan, a distinctive sound which conveyed pain and confusion. Krev knew the feeling and the source – it was Yang! He was happy to hear she was still alive after all the beatings Sapphire had put her through, but he couldn't get distracted. Krev needed to focus on defeating Sapphire, but how? The former Blue Knight was too powerful for him to defeat alone and his team weren't faring any better. They might succeed if they attacked together, but there were no guarantees, so perhaps … so perhaps they needed help.

Having formed a plan Krev glanced at the fighting pair, seeing that Sapphire and Silver were evenly matched and both were displaying incredible skill in their efforts to parry, block and land fatal hits. Convinced the madman wouldn't notice, Krev took hold of his swords and put them away before crawling across the ground towards Yang on his hands and knees – it wasn't the most graceful or flattering of actions, but he was still in pain and it got the job done.

Krev stopped by Yang's side and placed a hand on what he now noticed was a heavily padded shoulder.

"Yang! Yang!" he urged, shaking her rather violently. "Wake up, Yang! Yang!"

Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Krev?" she groaned, an exhausted smile dancing on her lips.

Relieved to see Yang was at least okay, Krev threw her wry smile and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. Being with the blonde again and speaking to her was already helping with his recovery, he could feel it, but Yang held her left arm and winced the moment she stood to her full height, her eyes conveying bewilderment.

"Yang, are you alright?" the Blood Angel asked gravely.

"Umm," was her only reply.

Without thinking he grabbed Yang by the sides of her face and forced her to look at him, yelling, "Yang, I need you to focus!"

"Krev?" she asked wearily. "What's going on?"

"It's Sapphire," he replied, "don't you remember? Sapphire attacked you and now he's fighting my team, but their losing because he's _too _powerful."

"Yeah, I remember," Yang breathed, letting go of her arm. "He … he was trying to convince you to join him for something … _wait_, not just _anything_, he was trying to convince you to control people."

Knowing Yang had recovered from her temporary amnesia; Krev pulled his hands away while giving her an acknowledging smile, his eyes locked with her stunning, now-lively purple orbs.

"He was, and I think he still is, but that's not important right now," the Blood Angel said sombrely. "Because of what Sapphire is, he has grown too powerful for my team or I to defeat alone. Yang, you have the numbers of students and professors who attend and teach at this school, so I need you to call as many of them as you possibly can."

It ripped him up inside to think his teammates were suffering because Sapphire had come to Beacon for _him_, so Krev didn't like the idea of any student or professor becoming involved and getting hurt or killed because _his _conflict with Sapphire either, but KAVS was losing the battle and the corrupted Blue Knight was too determined to have Krev join his cause to even allow running to become an option.

Agreeing with his plan she speedily reached into her pocket and grabbed her Scroll, but a grim expression consumed her beautiful features as she wrapped her fingers around the device.

"What is it?" he enquired.

Yang decided to answer using a visual aid, pulling out the device to show him that it had been shattered into many different pieces. Obviously Yang could take a hit or two, but a Scroll couldn't. With that plan out of the window Krev considered his options for a moment, settling on his previous idea, but with a slight adjustment.

"Then you'll have to go," said Krev.

"What?!" she yelled. "Look, I understand you need reinforcements but I can't just leave! Krev … what if I go and something bad happens to you?"

"Yang, if you don't go and get as many people as you can, then I'll be dead by the end of tonight anyway."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" she screamed. Yang paused for a moment and breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she recovered from her outburst. "I might have been down for a long time but I heard a lot of what he said to you," she continued gravely, "so what if I leave and get back to find I'm not just dealing with one powerful enemy … but two?"

Krev's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Yang, only now fully comprehending she wasn't only worried about his physical safety, but his mental stability also. He felt touched and ashamed, for Yang knew he had been tempted to accept Sapphire's offer what felt like hours ago…

_If only you knew what, or rather, _who _brought me back from the brink._

Krev wished to tell her, but before he could even utter a single word – the theme of the night – they heard a loud cry of pain emanate from somewhere in the distance. The Blood Angel and Yang looked to where the sound came from and were stunned to see Silver flying towards them. The samurai, now unconscious and disarmed of his primary weapon, was spiralling through the air, his limp arms and legs twirling around him as he corkscrewed past Krev and Yang.

It wasn't hard to feel sorry for Silver because his journey only ended when his entire body smashed into one of the stone pillars surrounding the courtyard, the impact destroying the possibly ancient structure and, more than likely, severely harming Silver.

After watching Silver's painful exit from the battle, Krev and Yang turned to face the man who had caused a lot of problems, aguish and certainly many deaths.

"Holding a final conversation with your girlfriend before I kill her?" Sapphire announced gleefully, standing only a few feet away from the pair. "How sweet."

Krev looked to the blonde and said, "You need to leave, now!"

Yang looked hesitant and infuriated, but hearing Krev's pleading tone made her sprint in the opposite direction to Sapphire.

"Stay safe," she ordered gently the instant before departing.

In an attempt to prevent her escape, Sapphire pushed out his free hand and fired a wave of threads. Krev reacted to his attack, drawing, transforming and augmenting his blades in a single movement, swiping the wave as it passed, destroying _it_ and the crystals that had formed on his countering sword.

Krev could see from the twinkle in his eye that Sapphire was about to make an arrogant remark, so before his opponent could begin to speak he quickly formed a new pair of crystal wings, the summoning taking less than a second. He flapped, generating more than enough thrust to cover the space between himself and Sapphire in a single heartbeat.

When the Blood Angel reached his enemy he attacked, unleashing a flurry of swipes which surpassed his assault from the previous day. It wasn't just faster, _every _strike was fuelled by his rage. Soon the Blue Knight was unable to keep up and was disarmed, his broadsword parried to the ground. With Sapphire vulnerable the Blood Angel relentlessly hacked and slashed with his crystal augmented swords and his wings. Because every attack was filled with so much anger, so much _hatred_, Krev brought down his swords and wings with such force that each and every time the crystals shattered, therefore, after every hit the Blood Angel re-coated his swords or re-formed his wings for another strike.

For almost an entire minute the Blood Angel chipped away at his defenceless, screaming opponent's Guardian, buying himself, his team and Yang as much time as he could with a number of crystal weapons. He used swords, axes, hammers and maces to beat Sapphire into submission, actually, speaking of maces…

After a few more seconds Valery re-joined the conflict and attacked from Sapphire's left side, using her mace – which Krev could tell was charged using her Semblance – to ruthlessly hammer away at the potentially limitless Guardian.

It felt good to be fighting alongside his partner again.

Moments later Amber re-joined, swiftly followed by Silver, both of whom taking a similar approach to their leader and attacking Sapphire with a series of rage fuelled swipes – Amber opting to unleash her fury on Sapphire's back whilst Silver chose to hack away at the Blue Knight's right side.

Sapphire was being pushed and pulled in all directions as three tenacious students and a Child of Fate attacked him from every direction, their combined assault rapidly depleting his Aura reserves and the protectiveness of his Guardian. He knew that if they continued, then all would be lost within the next few minutes – a realisation which angered Sapphire, driving him to engulf his entire body in a protective cocoon of blue threads and spread out his arms, an action which commanded the threads to discharge from his body like a pulse and strike his four opponents.

The members of Team KAVS were sent hurtling away in four different directions, except the Blood Angel, because the instance his feet lost contact with the ground, Sapphire reached out and brutishly grabbed Krev by the neck.

"I should be thanking you and your team for the battles," Sapphire growled, tightening his grip on Krev's windpipe, "for you have driven me to new heights. Thanks to you, Amber, Valery and Silver I have been forced to evolve and use the manifestation of my Resonance – my threads – in new, exciting ways. I have used them to block, increase the might of my attacks and even fly! I also been instinctively manipulating my Aura to heal faster, react more quickly and to vastly increase the strength of my Guardian, even my physical prowess … just like my brethren."

Sapphire increased his grip on Krev's neck to the point where he could no longer breathe, but despite Krev's frantic gasping and soon silence, the Blue Knight never relented.

"So tell me my child, even after seeing a fraction of what we are both capable of … does the power still not tempt you?"

He softened his grip, allowing the Blood Angel to catch his breath and clear his throat before answering.

"I'm afraid…" Krev paused, wheezing between his words, "…not."

A disdainful scowl distorted Sapphire's features and Krev expected a reaction, but none came. Instead, the madman just held him and glared, like he was thinking about something else. The Blood Angel was confused for a moment, but then everything became clear a second later when a mace appeared out of nowhere – Sapphire had been listening to Valery recover and throw her weapon.

It had looked as if _Thunderclap _was on course to strike Sapphire's skull, but the instant the mace came within arm's distance he raised his left hand and effortlessly caught it without the use of any threads. An impressive feat, for he was successful in gripping the weapon so its spikes protruded from in between his fingers and not _through_ his hand.

As the Blood Angel watched, Sapphire used his recently discovered strength to buckle the mace, effectively destroying _Thunderclap_. He then shot Krev a boastful half-smile and released his grip, allowing both the crimson-themed Child of Fate and the ruined mace to drop to the ground before turning his attention to Valery.

The now-former mace wielder stood several feet away and glowered at Sapphire, loathing evident in her eyes.

Not wanting to waste any more time the Blue Knight began to stalk forward, but his progress was slowed. Valery reacted to his sudden movement by pushing out both hands and firing a continuous stream of electricity from her fingertips and palms, an attack that should have immobilised him, but the arcs of electricity were not absorbed by Sapphire's body to inflict damage. Instead they _danced_ all over the surface of his giant form.

His Guardian was too great, preventing her attack from harming him, but it was slowing him down. In an effort to slow him down further, Valery even fired a few spheres comprised of electrical energy, but each time a sphere hit the Blue Knight, he merely paused for a second before continuing his walk towards her.

In hindsight it was a useless effort and she should have ran, but Valery was stubborn, therefore, after only a few seconds Sapphire was upon her, allowing him to reach out, harshly grab her by the neck and lift her feet off the ground, turning the once mighty mace wielder with a powerful Semblance into a gagging captive who desperately clawed at his wrist.

"So you're the girl who practically worships authority," Sapphire uttered contemptuously. "I cannot fathom how stupid some people can be, those who genuinely believe the mantra they are told to be the truth … although, it would explain a few things." He paused, relishing the feeling of making one of society's fools suffer. "I find it curious how General Ironwood was able to incorporate energy weapons technology into his new toy, I mean, it's not like Krev, Amber, Ashley or Sapphire relinquished the secret, so who was the weak link? Well I have a theory, _and_ a way to prove it."

Sapphire raised his free hand and coated it in a light film of threads.

"Do you remember that I possess an ability akin to telepathy?" he asked, continuing his speech. "Well it isn't as straight forward as that, for it is derived from my ability to manipulate the Aura within myself and within others, and the soul is but a gateway to the inferior mind. Sadly I'm still getting a handle on everything I'm capable of, so it requires a little … contact, to say the least."

Sapphire thrust his hand forward and brutishly grabbed her head, ensuring that his palm rested upon her forehead as his fingers curled behind her scalp. Valery screamed upon contact and it never subsided, the pain evident from her features, distorted by agony, and her body convulsing from having Sapphire invading her mind.

The Blood Angel wanted, _needed_ to save Valery, but he was still struggling to breathe and could barely move, so all he could do was watch and suffer as her blood-curdling, lung burning scream scrapped every nerve and filled him with dread, sadness and a need to cry out for it to stop.

What felt like a lifetime stopped after a few moments; the Blue Knight ceased his efforts to find information, but kept his hands firmly on Valery's neck and head.

"So you _are _the reason why his new puppet can slice airships in half," Sapphire breathed, then redirected his focus to Krev. "Guess what my child? Valery here, despite your agreement, took the schematics for _Crimson Force _off of Amber's computer and handed them to the General himself."

Krev was stunned and looked to Valery for an explanation, but she was unable to respond.

"That's right, Krev, Val's a backstabber. Now how does that make you feel? What does it make you want to do? If I was in your position, I would want Valery punished … actually, you know what, I think she _does _deserve it."

Without any warning Sapphire increased his grasp on Valery and obliterated the top half of her skull in a fraction of a second, killing the mace wielder instantly with a sickening crunch – a sight Krev was forced to watch as his eyes gazed into hers.

"Valery … NO!" the Blood Angel cried.

Spurred on by her death he tightly gripped both of his swords and rushed forward. Seeing this, Sapphire casually tossed Val's corpse to one side and, when Krev was close enough, effortlessly threw down a devastating punch which connected with the side of Krev's head and forced him to the ground once more.

"You're pathetic," Sapphire mocked, leaning over his enemy's prone body, "just like her. Feeling sympathy for Valery, even crying out her name … you should be thanking me for getting rid of _such_ a thorn in your side, not attacking me!"

"Quickly!" yelled a familiar voice. "They're over here!"

The lingering effects of Sapphire's previous attacks had taken a great toll on Krev's constantly healing, but never fully recovered, body or Guardian. Therefore, he was too weak and his Aura was too low for him to withstand the full extent of the Blue Knight's most recent strike and rendered practically immobile. Every muscle ached and his head throbbed, half of his face having been shattered upon impact with the ground. In addition to these injuries, sight was practically non-existent in his bloodshot right eye and blood was pouring from his mouth.

He was in an extraordinary amount of pain, but Krev was determined to confirm the source of the voice and tilted his gradually rebuilding skull to watch as a group of people ran around the side of the building which blocked his view of Beacon's main structures.

Krev smirked despite his agony, his gaze landing upon Yang. Was he happy to see her? Perhaps. But the primary cause of his smile was the fact she had succeeded in gathering a small of army of students and professors.

Yang was leading the charge, her teammates running by her sides as others lagged behind. Krev immediately recognised Ruby, Weiss and Blake despite their combat attire. He also recognised Pyrrha Nikos, Professor Ozpin and, of course, General Ironwood, but the others he was unfamiliar with, otherswho, unbeknown to him, were Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Glynda Goodwitch, Professors Port and Oobleck and the entirety of dozens of teams, including Teams CFVY and SSSN.

It looked as if Yang had successfully gathered half the school, a fact which pleased Krev and gave him the strength to redirect his attention back to Sapphire.

"You might be able to defeat _us_," Krev rasped, "but I doubt you'll be able to defeat an entire school."

"Perhaps," Sapphire said breathlessly, sneering at the approaching force.

There was something about the former Blue Knight's reply, something about the confident glint in his eye which made Krev nervous. Was this misplaced anxiety? Sadly not. Before the students and teachers could even get within one-hundred feet, Sapphire held out his hands and channelled his Aura, forming a small sphere comprised of blue threads between his palms. Remaining perfectly still and maintaining his concentration, Sapphire fed the sphere, causing it to grow before him until it emitted a blinding aquatic light. It was ready, or at least, Krev assumed it was ready because of what happened next…

Sapphire pushed out both hands with an amazing yell of agony, causing the sphere to expand and form a massive, one-hundred feet wide dome with a surface which resembled a vortex of swirling oceans. As the dome formed, Amber, Silver and the lifeless husk of Valery Svetlo were flung outwardly, joining the students and professors as their progress was halted, and their view was blocked, by the dome's surface.

Everyone halted a few feet away from the dome in amazement, or in fear of the dome having a potentially deleterious or fatal effect upon contact, but Yang didn't care about any _possible_ risks and moved forward, placing her hands on its surface. It felt solid and smooth beneath her fingers, perfectly formed even, suggesting invulnerability, however; Yang knew what lied beyond, knew that Krev needed her help, so she refused to believe it was impervious and scanned its surface with a frightful gaze.

Yang immediately ceased her visual inspection knowing there were no apparent weaknesses to be found, a realisation which infuriated the blonde and drove her to curl her left hand into a tight fist and throw an almighty punch. Sadly her attack had no effect on the dome and stung, but her pain only fed her Semblance and her resolve.

"KREV!" she cried, throwing another punch.

Yang's determination to infiltrate the dome spurred on the others, inspiring them to unleash an onslaught upon the mythic structure using either their bare hands, weaponry or their Sembli.

To an onlooker, the sight of Hunters and their students attacking the dome using a variety of methods would look incredible, but unproductive. The surface was left unscarred no matter how powerful the attack. Even Yang with her self-perpetuating Semblance, desperately trying to force her way inside the dome looked fruitless, for the monolithic, ocean-blue dome which isolated Krev and Sapphire from the rest of the world was impenetrable…

The dome which, to many of its attackers, felt like a barrier between two dimensions.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I'm cruel just leaving it like that – I've got myself quite a knack for cliff-hangers :) **

**Chapter 11 will be up shortly, so in the meantime please favourite, follow and, most of all, review this story – there seems to be a serious shortage of these. **

**Take care, **

**ChildOfFate16**


	12. Ch11: Kindred

**A/N: Many have fallen to Sapphire's power, but what will happen when Team RWBY enter the fray?**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Kindred**

"Gratitude is the only emotion you should be conveying right now."

Krev's back connected with the ground, sending a vicious pain up his spine. He had been rendered prone for the … actually, he couldn't remember how many times Sapphire had immobilised him by this point. Sapphire had punched, straggled and now kicked him in the jaw, so once again, as he lied a few feet away from his enemy, Krev was forced to stare up at the ceiling of the imprisoning dome as he spontaneously convulsed or gasped. Sure his slowly increasing Aura reserve was desperately trying to heal the damage to his body, but the excruciating pain lancing through his cracked jaw wasn't fading and blood continued to ooze down his cheeks, the crimson liquid running into his dishevelled hair…

"So many people crave a purpose," Sapphire continued, speaking his words with meticulous diction and scornful derision – a tone Krev, if he survived the night, would forever despise. "People wander through life searching for a reason to exist, even going as far to work for despicable individuals because they _give_ _them_ a purpose. I would even wager my soul that a number of, for example, _Faunus_ join the White Fang because it gives them a purpose. But _you_ my child, _you _have been given a destiny – a reason to exist!

"You were given a purpose when we performed the spell which turned you into a Child of Fate, a _herald _of the New Destiny. In addition to _this_, we bestowed upon you and your siblings gifts which make you all _gods_ among mortals. But we also gave you a family when we performed the spell, making _us _– you and I – kindred."

"I … already had … a family," Krev wheezed.

"Oh yes," Sapphire chirped, "how could I forget? You are the biological son of a pair of traitors and raised by a group who spent decades aimlessly … _wandering_ through life. _All _of whom were indeed disappointed with the current state of the world, but they were all either too _cowardly _or too _self-absorbed_ to do anything about it. But you, your siblings, my brethren and I understand a simple truth: You must become transcendent and sacrifice _everything_ to change the world … _that _is what makes us truly kindred.

"So, my child, do you not feel any obligation to repay us, to repay _me _for giving you a destiny? Do you not feel an obligation to repay a debt to your family?"

Krev met Sapphire's proud gaze and threw him a satisfied smile.

"No," he breathed, his tone filled with a happiness brought about by his desire to anger the _thing _who had killed … well, who had killed so many. It became apparent a second later Krev had been successful in his quest, for the Blue Knight's features were distorted by a hateful snarl, suggesting he was about to attack, but none came. Instead Sapphire raised one of his hands and snapped his fingers.

"What about them?" he enquired calmly.

Krev was confused by what he meant for a moment, but then he noticed the surface of the dome had become opaque, allowing him to see the building which stood in the distance behind Sapphire and beyond the dome itself. Realising that he could also see flashes out of the corner of his right eye, Krev tentatively turned his head. What he saw made him gasp. Students and teachers alike were relentlessly assaulting the dome, using bare hands, weapons or their Sembli to attempt weakening, and subsequently infiltrating, the structure. His eyes, however, became transfixed on Yang as she repeatedly hit the exterior of the dome and was breath taken by her determination … by the blinding rage which consumed her beautiful features.

"Look at them, trying to get in here; it's pointless, but honourable I suppose." When Sapphire paused, Krev took his eyes off Yang and returned his attention to the man giving the speech – the man adorning a stern, contemptuous glare. "Do you not feel an obligation to repay them for this kindness? Do you not wish to save them – to save _her _– from the cycle of indoctrination, vicious training and _death_ at the hands of a Grimm, or some other ungodly force?"

He did, and he would, but not by joining Sapphire and destroying freewill!

"Getting a little desperate, aren't we?" Krev mocked, baring his bloodstained teeth. "Over the last few hours you've tried to oh, let's see, persuade me by describing the New Destiny – your solution to the problems of Remnant – as some holy cause; attempted goading me into using the full extent my power; threatened to break me by, I'm assuming, torturing Yang; demonstrated only a _fraction_ of what a Child of Fate is capable of by harming my teammates and _killing_ Valery; tried to guilt me into repaying a 'debt' I owe; and last, but certainly not least, have attempted using Yang and her classmates for yet another guilt trip.

"But look at the facts Sapphire; persuasion, threats, demonstrations and guilt have all failed. So … what is it going to be now?"

Sapphire didn't reply and instead marched forward, purposefully taking as few strides as possible to reach Krev within a few heartbeats. Once he was upon the Blood Angel, Sapphire reached down, wrapped his hand around Krev's neck and hoisted, brutishly picking him up and suspending him in the air.

"You are an insolent child … just like your parents!" Sapphire paused, the fury written across his face soon replaced by shock, his pupils dilating and mouth falling agape as a revelation took hold. "And look at what they became," he whispered angrily, "what _you _could become. Krev, if you will not join us, then I cannot allow you to become a hindrance!"

Krev was gagging from the tight grasp around his throat and clawing at the Blue Knight's wrist, but soon his frantic movements disappeared and were replaced by stillness, for having come to the realisation that Krev could disturb the New Destiny like his parents or even take one step further and undo _everything _that had been achieved over the years, Sapphire formed a tight fist and punched the Blood Angel square in the face, beginning the Child of Fate's slow, painful death.

* * *

The sound of gunfire was absolutely deafening, but no amount of noise ever broke Weiss' focus. She was determined, like her teammates, the other students and faculty members, to break through the seemingly impenetrable dome.

She wasn't paying any attention to everyone else's attempts, but she could see her teammates out of the corners of her eyes perfectly. Ruby (who was to her left) was firing dozens of high calibre rounds while Blake (who was to her right) tried a similar tactic, firing _Gambol Shroud _in its pistol form. Weiss herself was even firing small, turquois glyphs at the dome, but Yang (who was to Blake's right) was physically attacking its surface.

Their current predicament was similar to when they faced the Nevermore during initiation; they were all unleashing powerful attacks, yet no matter how much force Yang put behind a punch or they – Weiss, Ruby and Blake – fired at the dome, nothing happened. Their assault was even becoming dangerous for themselves because the bullets from their, other students' and professors' attacks ricocheted off the dome.

Weiss, like everyone else, wasn't too sure what was truly going on, but the situation was growing dire … she could feel it. The situation was also growing hopeless, but then something occurred which caused them all to stop from amazement. The dome, despite its previous solidity, suddenly began to pulse and flicker like a dying hologram.

Was this their doing?

The heiress had no idea why the dome had begun to falter, but the reason did not concern her and perhaps never would, for what was transpiring inside stunned and appalled her. Inside were Sapphire and Krev, the former holding the latter by the neck with one hand as he repeatedly punched with the other, each strike earning the so called 'Blue Knight' a wail of agony from Krev's limp frame.

Yang hadn't given any specific details beyond "Sapphire's trying to kill Krev" and "Quickly, he needs our help". Weiss had, as they started their journey on foot to where the battle was taking place, replied with a snarky comment of "Which one? Krev or Sapphire?", but Yang didn't reply. For a time Weiss believed Yang was overreacting, that Sapphire was merely trying to – as the blonde would say – 'get some payback' for the previous day's sparring match. But after seeing Amber and Silver unconscious, _Valery_'s dead body and the way Sapphire was almost gleefully beating Krev, Weiss quickly realised that Yang has been right to pull the fire alarm.

"HE'S KILLING HIM!" Yang cried, wracking her fingers through her long, blonde hair.

Weiss understood her teammate's panic and she too wanted to get inside, but the momentarily appearing, disappearing and reappearing gaps in the dome were no larger than an Astringe egg, and she didn't want to risk leaping through one in case it resealed whilst she was in mid-air … the heiress didn't particularly desire to imagine what would happen. No, she had to wait, bide her time until…

Yes! There it was! Right in front of Team RWBY appeared a gap slightly larger than Yang. It was their best and potentially only opportunity to help Krev, so Weiss activated her Semblance. A glyph appeared beneath her feet, prompting Weiss to twirl on the spot and stab the ground with the tip of her rapier, an action which caused sharp pillars of ice to shoot up from the ground and strike the dome. It would have been a useless attack a few seconds earlier, but now, whilst the dome was weak, it had the desired effect because the rim of the gap – a perfect circle – was frozen, creating a gateway.

"Good work, Weiss," said Ruby, complimenting her partner with a cute smile as she ran for the entrance.

After her leader used the ice path and entry she had created, Weiss ran inside next, followed by Blake, then finally Yang.

* * *

Yang ran through the frozen entrance just in time, for a millisecond later the ice was broken by the dome's determination to stay in existence and the circular gap disappeared. This meant Team RWBY was inside the dome and about to fight Sapphire with no allies, a fact which should have bothered Yang, but it didn't. All she cared about was saving Krev. Besides, after all the enemies they'd faced, Yang knew she and her teammates were ready for the man who insisted he was called by another's name.

Realising that four people had successfully penetrated his defences, Sapphire ceased his endless attack on Krev and looked towards the team running towards him, meeting Yang's scowl.

"Looks like I let my concentration slip," he said, eyes returning to the Blood Angel. "Don't worry though my child, I won't let it happen again."

Even though her eyes were locked on Sapphire, Yang still paid attention to the dome as its surface became solid again and its opaque interior turned back into a mythic sight; a dome formed of swirling oceans, cutting off their view of the outside world.

Sapphire threw Krev to the ground and unleashed an onslaught of waves. He swiftly and repeatedly pushed out splayed hands, causing waves – circular walls of intertwined threads – to shriek towards his opponents.

A wave struck Yang, but it didn't send her off her feet or engulf her body. Instead the wave dissipated on contact, its impact, although painful, fuelling her Semblance. Knowing she could withstand the barrage, Yang continued to effortlessly sprint towards Sapphire. Her teammates, however, were forced to dodge the waves.

Ruby used her speed to rapidly shift left-to-right, Weiss used a combination of her white speed and blue barrier glyphs, and Blake used her natural agility to avoid harm. Yang watched her teammates' efforts to evade the Blue Knight's attack as she sprinted behind them, their movements remaining clear despite the number of waves which momentarily obscured her vision upon striking her body. But Yang was also in the perfect position to witness as her friends could no longer evade his relentless barrage and became overwhelmed; Ruby, Weiss and Blake were struck by a single wave each, sending them, one-by-one, hurtling past Yang.

If they were in any other circumstance, she would have tried to catch her teammates before they harshly skidded across the stone floor, but Yang was focused on reaching her enemy.

Sapphire turned his attention to her and concentrated his efforts on a single target.

Wave-after-wave viciously pummelled her entire body, but Yang never slowed. Sure the assault hurt like Hell, but she could take the hits.

One last wave struck as she was upon him, the barrier acting as the perfect cover for her to take him by surprise. Yang emerged from the dissipating threads and began her own barrage, using all the strength she had gathered to rapidly strike every inch of his torso. Her knuckles collided with his chest, stomach, hips and shoulders, her strikes never following a pattern and always earning her a groan of pain from the man now acting as her punching bag.

Every hit carried the power of a car going at full speed and the blasts fired from _Ember Celica_, but no matter how many she landed or how much the Blue Knight flailed on the spot, he didn't budge. Sapphire was rooted to the ground and his Aura was showing no signs of depleting, so Yang decided to try a different tactic and rammed the base of her right boot into his left shin. The attack didn't break his leg, but it caused Sapphire to collapse onto one knee.

Now looking down on the top of his skull, Yang unleashed another flurry of punches. Each hit carried the same amount of power as the last assault, but this time they connected with ever part of his face and head, her fists smashing into his jaw, cheek bones, temples, nose, eyes, forehead and the rest of his skull, forcing his head in every direction as she wailed on his cranium like a speedball.

After the last punch he slumped, causing his messy raven-black hair to cascade forward and shield his features. It looked as if Sapphire was bowing to Yang, but respect for his attacker was the last thing on his mind. He straightened his back a moment later and met Yang's crimson gaze, smiling at her current state.

Yang was panting, her shoulders rising and falling with every breath. She wasn't exhausted, it was the hatred blazing within her very soul which caused the physical reaction and seeing the arrogance written across his face didn't help with the blonde's fury. Yang wished only to inflict pain upon the Blue Knight, but what enraged her the most was the fact he possessed no injuries from her onslaught; there were no cuts, bruises, swelling or blood, just that putrid, smiling face she loathed.

Yang screamed a fearsome battle cry in Sapphire's undaunted face, visceral bloodlust consuming her features and her soul as she balled one of her hands into a tight fist and threw an incredible punch. It was an attack which connected with his smile, bringing a whole new meaning to 'wiping the smile off someone's face' as it lifted Sapphire off the ground and launched him towards the other end of the dome.

Yang watched as he span through the air and landed on the masonry thirty feet away with a grunt. _He_ was down, but his Aura wasn't, so Yang swiftly punched the empty space in front of her, commanding her gauntlets to fire explosive rounds which sizzled through the air and detonated upon impact with Sapphire.

When she was confident he would stay down for at least a few seconds, Yang chanced looking down at Krev. She could tell he was badly beaten-up and in a lot of pain. He was healing, but slowly as his Aura levels gradually replenished. Yang knew that his shielding – or as he called it, 'Guardian' – had been completely destroyed because of the extend of the wounds, so _that_ also needed to be regenerated before he could assist, otherwise he would be in danger of receiving more life-threatening injuries.

Hearing a groan emanate from Sapphire in the distance, Yang redirected her full attention and saw he was in the process of tentatively picking himself off the ground. He didn't appear seriously injured or hurt, but he was moving slower than usual.

Yang gave a pleased smirk before raising her fists and smashing them together, a painful action she had performed many times in the past to increase her strength. Her knuckles colliding together, especially with the amount of power she already possessed, was excruciating, but she could take the ever increasing pain and with each passing hit she grew stronger, her hair ablaze and crimson eyes shining from the blue haze cast by the dome.

After one final strike she launched herself forward using only a small percentage of her self-created might, dragging behind her a single fist which carried the force of an airship travelling at full speed. Yang felt the surge of power rush through her entire body, the power which told her she was now a god whose strike would finally kill the Blue Knight, however; by the time she closed the gap, Sapphire was back on his feet and something amazing happened…

He caught the fist with his bare hand! There were no threads coating his hand, no barriers, just his bare hand wrapped around her fist. Yang's eye widened in horror at the sight, the might of her attack transferring from her fist to his body a moment later. Sapphire, however, remained unmoved. Only a shockwave emanated from their joined hands, affecting neither party as it washed over them and struck the ground, cracking it in all directions. Yang then felt it, her eyes turning back to purple and her godlike power fading; she had put _everything _into that punch … and look what happened!

Sapphire threw his captive a smirk which conveyed his intention, frightening Yang before wrenching her arm with a single twist. She cried out in agony, the scream filling him with joy as he made a fist with his free hand and punched Yang in the face, landing a strike one-hundred times more powerful than hers, sending an unconscious Yang hurtling away.

Impressed by his own strength, Sapphire raised his hands and studied them in awe.

"So this is how you must feel," he whispered to himself.

Sapphire's trail of thought was suddenly broken upon feeling a presence quickly approaching. His detection was vindicated a heartbeat later by a wail of pain, _no_, not a wail of pain, just a high pitch voice shrieking. Knowing they would soon be upon him from a western angle, Sapphire quickly drew and brought _Jekla _down in that direction.

His timing was immaculate, for the tip of his broadsword slashed at the handle of a magnificent weapon wielded by an interestingly dressed girl, the force of the counterattack sending her sprawling through the air away from him.

She was on course to land on the ground, but before this occurred Sapphire fired a stream of threads and caught the girl. He suspended her for a moment, his hand raised in her direction as he scrutinised the girl.

He could tell she was young, much younger than her teammates in fact, and that she was sporting a red hood. Sapphire then remembered Yang's description of her sister, instantly recognising the girl within his grasp to be Ruby.

"You have a lot of spunk," he spat, "but life _will_ eventually beat that out of you. Well, unless I beat out of you first."

Sapphire thrust his hand towards the ground, commanding the threads encasing Ruby to smash her onto the hard floor. He had deduced, as he _always _deduced, from the rate of her approach that Ruby possessed a Semblance relating to speed, _not _Penance. Expected, of course, for only the Children of Fate could wield the same abilities.

Smirking from his realisation, Sapphire began to repeatedly slam Ruby onto the ground, intending to kill the young student the way he had overwhelmed Yang before his eye-opening conversation with Krev Melek. His fun, however, was interrupted after five slams. Sapphire wasn't suddenly attacked or distracted by thoughts of his stubborn child, he had, once again, sensed another presence coming towards him.

Perhaps this was an extension of his ability to manipulate the Aura within others, sensing the Aura within his opponents as they came in for an attack … or perhaps he was 'sensing' his enemies using an instinct honed from centuries of combat. Either way, he was about to be attacked and needed to counter.

Releasing the hooded girl from his telekinetic-like grip, Sapphire swung _Jekla_ to his right, both hands on the handle, in a downwards, diagonal arc to kill his attacker. It should have worked, but his sword bounced off a rapier held by a short, pristine white girl.

The rapier was much smaller than his broadsword, but it had been coated in what appeared to be some kind of red energy – an energy which protected the girl and forced _Jekla _over his head with his hands still on the handle, leaving him vulnerable.

He didn't possess any abilities like Amber's, but time still seemed to slow down from his perspective and allowed him to study the girl who so effortlessly parried his attack, his eyes widening upon realising it had been Weiss Schnee – a girl who was easily recognisable for being the heiress to the world's most powerful and extremely corrupt organisation.

His thoughts were interrupted upon sensing yet another presence, causing Sapphire to turn his head just in time to witness a girl dressed in nothing but black flying towards him with a leg outstretched. Unable to block or counter, the base of the girl's small boot connected with his face and sent him bouncing across the ground.

He was bored with ricocheting across the masonry, so he drove _Jekla _into the ground with incredible force and used the blade to come to a grinding halt several feet away from the tag team. Sapphire was, once more, on one knee, so he was forced to look up at the two girls running towards him.

Sapphire would have laughed at the irony of his current position if he wasn't infuriated, for a man usually proposed to a girl whilst on one knee, _not _plan their demise.

The former Blue Knight rose to his feet and studied the girls. He knew Weiss to be the girl with the rapier, but the girl dressed in black, the girl wearing a bow and carrying a thin sword and a razor sharp sheath in either hand fascinated him, then he realised it was Blake, _realised_ that she was the last member of Team RWBY.

How did he know the name of their team? Well he had listened to a great deal of Krev and Yang's touching conversation, but the name of the first year team and its spelling was information Weiss Schnee conveyed to Valery during their own exchange – information he extracted and retained from Valery's mind.

The instance Weiss and Blake were upon him they unleashed a perfectly coordinated flurry of impressive swipes. Both girls were trying to land crucial hits that were blocked or parried by Sapphire's broadsword, but that didn't mean they were the only aggressors in their battle against him. The Blue Knight himself struck back with many bold, powerful arcs of his sword, attacks which Weiss and Blake both understood possessed the potential to deal serious damage their Aura and to themselves, therefore; Weiss used _Myrtenaster_ to redirect the angle of his swipes rather than use precious Aura, a parry which caused sparks to fly off her sword every time his own passed over it. Blake, on the other hand, opted for leaving clones in her wake to take the hit as she evaded and, hopefully, disorientate Sapphire.

The swordfight continued for a few more seconds, but then something interesting happened. Sapphire, the man whom caused so much carnage and pain, leapt backwards through the air, away from his opponents, and landed several feet away. Weiss thought, for a fleeting moment at least, she and Blake had him on the run…

Wishful thinking, as the old saying goes.

Sapphire snapped his fingers, an overly confident action which commanded the twelve sentries of _Jern Swarm _to fly through the air as a stream of disks and cease their travel once they had reached Weiss and Blake. The heiress fully expected the sentries to open fire immediately, but none did as they whirled around them and took up a formation.

Weiss remained poised with _Myrtenaster_ in both hands as Blake scowled at the disks, her grip tightening on _Gambol Shroud_'s two halves whilst her back faced the heiress. They were ready, even before the sentries stopped upon taking up an inverted dome formation, and studied the disks closely, waiting for any sign of activation from the pieces which slowly span around them.

With _Jern Swarm _in position, Sapphire waved his hand in a nonchalant fashion. The surface of each disk became illuminated with a navy blue light, signalling to Weiss and Blake that all twelve were about to fire all at once, but they didn't.

Having learned from the mistake of _Jern Swarm_'s previous owner and having seen the same tactic work against Amber Stone earlier that same evening, Sapphire had ordered the sentries to fire in bursts. This took the two girls slightly by surprise, but Weiss and Blake were nothing if not adaptable, so they executed their defences with perfect timing despite the _Jern Swarm_'s pieces firing at random times and for random periods of time.

Both girls used their blades to block the energy beams, but Weiss and Blake also used their Sembli to defend themselves against his assault, the former using barrier glyphs to block the beams whilst the latter left clones behind to attempt confusing whatever targeting system _Jern Swarm _used. Their defensive strategies appeared to be working despite how much Aura they were using, but eventually the sentries adapted to Blake's style and saw past the illusions she created, instead targeting and subsequently shooting her directly.

Blake was shot multiple times, the beams pelting her shielding whilst pushing her in a multitude of directions.

"Blake!" Weiss yelled, concerned for her teammate.

Weiss was forced to watch out of the corner of her eye as the beams relented long enough for Blake to collapse to the ground, but the respite for the Faunus didn't last long. The sentries seemed intent on finishing Blake off, so a multiple of the disks continued to fire at the unconscious girl, however; having theorised that a single beam could destroy what remained of her protection and kill Blake, Weiss shielded her teammate from the bursts of energy using even more barrier glyphs.

"Wake up soon, Blake," the heiress said urgently, beginning a dance where she studied the sentries, waited for illumination and summoned a protective glyph just in time to defend either herself or Blake – a dance she hoped would conserve as much Aura as possible, buying them both the time they needed to await Ruby or Yang's awakening.

As if she felt Weiss' need for her assistance, Ruby regained consciousness and lifted her throbbing head off the stone floor. Her vision was blurry for a moment, but it quickly returned for Ruby to witness a most distressing sight.

Weiss, her partner and friend, was standing in the middle of a dome formed from Sapphire's secondary weapon, defending both herself and Blake from an onslaught of beams. Seeing this prompted Ruby to sit up completely and to start the process of forming a plan, but then she heard it, a sardonic laugh which filled her with hatred.

Ruby turned her attention towards the source of the laughter, her gaze falling upon Sapphire. He was standing several feet away from her, laughing as he watched his sentries attack her teammates. Sapphire was gaining pleasure from seeing her partner struggling to survive, the same glee she'd seen written across his face as he ruthlessly beat Krev to a limp, bloody pulp.

Grabbing her scythe off the ground, Ruby transformed _Crescent Rose _back into its sniper state and took aim, her sight trained on Sapphire's head. She could feel her soul begging her to end Sapphire's life, to fire a round through his brain and save her friends, but Ruby had seen how easily he'd blocked Yang's attack, _knew _his Aura – his protection – was far greater than any student, Huntsmen or Huntress she had ever seen, so she made the smarter move and redirected her rifle's barrel to _Jern Swarm_.

Ruby fired four consecutive rounds, the powerful bullets leaving massive holes in four of the sentries, the disks falling to the ground like lifeless flies.

Sapphire, having witnessed the death of four sentries, ceased his laughter and snarled at the hooded girl. Infuriated, he charged forward, his armoured boots connecting with the stone and emitting a loud thud with every stride.

Ruby heard his approach and ceased firing, swiftly redirecting _Crescent Rose_. Her telescopic sight allowed Ruby to see, with painstaking detail, the fury in his eyes and the curl of his lips, an expression which told her one important fact…

He was coming for her.

Terrified, Ruby panicked and opened fire, shooting round-after-round at the fast approaching Blue Knight. The first bullet struck Sapphire directly between the eyes without penetrating his protection or causing any obvious damage, but the shot forced his head to jolt back and, unbeknown to Ruby … he felt the impact.

By possessing the body of a Child of Fate, Sapphire's Aura reserves were now well above the average Huntsman or Huntress', remaining abnormally high even after all the battles. Therefore, he was protected, but due to Yang's relentless attack he could now feel every impact. So, even though every bullet collided, collapsed under its own force and ricocheted off his Guardian, he felt the pain of being shot by a multitude of sniper rounds, each impact causing his body to jolt depending on the placement of the shots.

Bullets struck his shoulders, chest, stomach and head, each round pushing back those points of his anatomy for milliseconds, however; despite the amount of impacts or the pain, Sapphire never slowed down.

Hearing Sapphire charging towards a new target, Weiss looked to her right to see the Blue Knight sprinting towards Ruby with the prowess of an athlete, his broadsword drawn and ready to kill her partner. He was only a few feet away from Ruby, so she needed to act quickly.

A glowing clock face appeared beneath Weiss' feet, dramatically increasing her power and speed. She then, without a moment's hesitation, span on her heels and drove the tip of her rapier into the ground, casting another glyph which created a dome made of ice. It was similar to the dome she created to protect the entirety of Team RWBY from the crash which signified the beginning of the Breach, but there was a key difference; instead of having a jagged surface with spikes which served no purpose, the spikes on this dome pierced through the remaining sentries and rendered them inert.

Free from the assault, Weiss leapt with _Myrtenaster_'s tip pointed before her, making herself as streamlined as possible so she quickly, and effectively, smashed through the top of her ice dome without causing much harm to her body nor slowing herself down.

Weiss travelled through the air with a degree of elegance, landing inches in front of Ruby a heartbeat later just as Sapphire brought down his massive blade. Weiss wasn't going to perform any self-sacrifice, but she was going to end the fight once and for all!

The heiress used the red dust in her rapier to charge her blade. The moment the surface of _Myrtenaster_ glowed a magnificent crimson light, Weiss held her sword horizontally to block Sapphire's attack. It was a counter she had used at the beginning of their skirmish and it worked again, for Sapphire's blade collided with _Myrtenaster_, but despite the amount of force he put behind his attack to kill Ruby the blade bounced off and flew backwards, travelling over his head with both of his hands still on the handle.

With the Blue Knight's sword and hands above his head, Weiss charged her blade again and span on the spot, this time slicing Sapphire across his torso with her weapon, sending him hurtling away.

Sapphire rolled across the ground for several seconds, then stopped his journey by ramming _Jekla _into the stone once more. As he rose to his full height, he glared at Weiss Schnee, but his expression of loathing did not frighten her, in fact, she was giving him the exact same look.

"You will leave her alone!" Weiss screamed, her entire demeanour conveying only rage.

Would this throw her off? Would this leave her vulnerable? The answer, to that particular question, would be _no_.

With her increased power and speed still in effect, Weiss dashed forward and closed the gap between them in less than a second. Her speed, her determination to kill him, took Sapphire off guard and left him truly vulnerable to her onslaught of precision strikes.

Weiss rapidly swiped, her blade landing upon and running across the entirety of his torso and other, more crucial parts of his form, ensuring to slice across all his joints. Weiss hacked and slashed away at his ankles, kneecaps, thighs, hips, wrists and the inside of his elbows – precision strikes which caused Sapphire to cry out in agony.

The heiress knew she was winning their battle, but with the effects of her first glyph fading and his ability to recover quickly, she needed to end the conflict before he regained any composure. Therefore, without needing to cast any glyph, Weiss jumped up and over Sapphire's giant form to perform her final assault, but she didn't let a great opportunity pass by and slashed on her way behind him, using _Myrtenaster_ to strike up his torso, across his face and down his back using a variety of different angles on her short journey to her new position.

With the pain of so many strikes running throughout his entire being, Sapphire cried out as he collapsed, his knees giving way as his body fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Weiss was underneath Sapphire, more specially, directly underneath his back as he fell backwards, giving her the perfect opportunity to attack. The heiress charged her blade once more and all elegance was lost as she swiped upwards like a batswoman striking a ball, the ball, of course, being Sapphire, the blade striking his spine and sending the Blue Knight cartwheeling into the sky directly above her.

Was she going to allow him to plummet back to Remnant and impale him on the way down? It was tempting, but she needed to ensure his godlike invulnerability was destroyed before she delivered her final strike.

Weiss twirled on the spot, waving _Myrtenaster_ over her head to rotate the chamber and fire turquois snowflakes at the helpless Blue Knight. Her movements appeared elegant, but the snowflakes brutally struck his wrists, ankles and neck simultaneously, creating five bindings which suspended him in the sky. Weiss then focused for a moment, holding _Myrtenaster_ in both hands to summon the clock face glyph, bestowing upon her incredible strength and speed once more.

She was using a lot of Aura, but Weiss didn't care by this point. All the heiress cared about was ending Sapphire and his reign of aguish, therefore, without any thought for her own personal safety, Weiss summoned a multitude of blue, solid glyphs around the suspended Blue Knight and leapt skyward to perform, as she had done against the 'chainsword' wielding thug, a series of ruthless attacks.

Weiss jumped from one glyph to another, her entire form looking like a white flash of light as she dealt countless hits to Sapphire's entire body. Her sword sliced across his torso, back and every other inch she could find in order to chip away at his Aura reserves before her newfound speed wore off. Sadly this occurred a few seconds later, forcing Weiss to leap from a glyph to his left to a glyph to his right at normal speed, jumping over him to land another devastating, charged hit between his shoulders.

Sapphire wailed in pain and his bindings were shattered, causing him to plummet and crash into the masonry with a Remnant-shaking impact.

Knowing he was truly vulnerable, Weiss leapt from her current glyph to another she summoned directly overhead, its surface pointing towards Sapphire. She was –for the lack of a term – upside-down, but on a mere whim the blue glyph changed, turning black and allowing Weiss to defy the laws of gravity as she ensured her shot wouldn't miss.

It was funny how the last time she used this glyph for such a purpose it was to kill a Grimm, but Sapphire was something else … something she didn't understand …

Something she feared.

Satisfied with her positioning, Weiss commanded the glyph to fire. She was propelled, _turned_ into a Weiss-shaped missile with _Myrtenaster_ acting as the warhead, however; her streamlined posture changed as she span in the air, raising her sword over her head in the style of a bloodthirsty warrior preparing to execute their opponent.

She was planning to decapitate the Blue Knight to ensure his death, but as her feet made contact with the stone floor and she brought down her sword, Sapphire pushed himself off the ground and landed, rather elegantly, a few feet away.

_Myrtenaster_ struck the stonework where his neck should have been, but the fight wasn't over yet! Knowing she could still defeat him, Weiss pirouetted as she stood, slashing the air to unleash a wall of fire from her sword.

Seeing the flames rushing towards him, Sapphire raised _Jekla _– which he had successfully held on to throughout the duration of Weiss' assault – and successfully blocked the attack, but the fire exploded on impact and pushed Sapphire away from the heiress, the base of his boots skidding across the stone.

After a moment passed and the intense heat subsided, Sapphire lowered _Jekla _to gaze upon Weiss Schnee with triumph, but what happened next indeed frightened him.

Infuriated, Weiss twirled on the spot, her rapier sweeping behind her as she gave the elegant performance. She stopped a moment later and brought the tip of her sword down, stabbing the ground between her feet to summon pillars of ice … pillars which quickly approached Sapphire and encased his entire form, except head and hands, in ice.

He was ensnared, only able to grunt in discomfort as he struggled in her entrapment. It was quite ironic really after imprisoning Krev within a dome, but this was not a time to mule over irony, this was a time to strike! Weiss locked the chamber of her rapier onto a rarely used type of dust, a setting which caused an angelic light and symbols to travel up the surface of her blade.

This was it, her final attack! It had been her final strike against the armour in White Castle and now it would destroy Sapphire!

Wishing to end the battle quickly, Weiss cast a white glyph beneath her feet which allowed her to dash forward. She was like an enraged spectre, a mask of fury distorting her features.

Seeing her approaching, Sapphire looked within himself and used the fury which had burned inside of him for generations to emit not only a bellow of rage, but a small shockwave of threads from his body which destroyed his cage and granted him the opportunity to swipe _Jekla _for a counterattack –

Their swords collided, Weiss passing Sapphire as he remained rooted to the spot, the moment gone in a flash. They waited, the heiress and the Blue Knight standing several feet away from each other, back-to-back, neither moving. It was a warrior showdown; both parties waiting for the other to collapse from a fatal wound, but time seemed to become irrelevant as neither fell and instead wore smirks of confidence.

Sapphire's smirk, however, came from a place of arrogance whilst she, the heiress, had a reason to be confident…

The Blue Knight continued to smirk as he turned on the spot to face Weiss, but his happiness was quickly replaced by a frown upon hearing a fizzle. Knowing the source to be _Jekla_, he looked down and was surprised to see hairline, white cracks appearing across its surface. He thought, for a fleeting moment, that she had merely damaged his blade, but then the cracks began to spread, consuming _Jekla _and travelling towards the hilt.

Fearing the cracks could spread to his hand like a decease he released _Jekla _from his grasp, watching in horror as it disintegrated into snowflakes upon striking the ground.

"You bi–!" he yelled, turning his scathing eyes to his opponent as his insult was interrupted.

Weiss had cast her divine glyph once more and was upon him, yet she did not attack him immediately. Instead the heiress summoned blue glyphs which surrounded Sapphire for a second time, her latest batch forming a dome. She swiftly dashed between the glyphs for several seconds, landing countless strikes on every inch of Sapphire's flailing body.

Victory was within her grasp, so Weiss stopped in front of him and performed the perfect backflip, her feet connecting with a glyph level with his head. Time was passing slowly for Weiss, granting her the capability to watch, not just feel, as she launched herself off the glyph and swung _Myrtenaster_ in a brutal arc and emitted a scream of rage. She was aiming, as she always had, to decapitate the Blue Knight, but as she sliced the air Sapphire raised both of his hands and caught her, one hand (protected by a layer of threads) gripping her blade as the other wrapped around her throat.

Time returned to normal for the heiress, her body feeling weak from the excessive use of her Semblance. It angered Weiss, because she knew no matter how hard she fought against him, she would never defeat Sapphire. In fact, she was now within his grip and defenceless, so there was no more battle and only … and only death.

Sapphire gave his captive a devilish smile and slammed her onto the ground, his hands firmly remaining around her neck and sword as he enjoyed her cry of pain. Leaning over Weiss, glaring into her eyes, Sapphire wrenched _Myrtenaster_ from her grip and threw it to one side, leaving her with absolutely no hope of escape.

"You should really work on that style of yours," he growled, enjoying the panic in her wide eyes as she clawed at his wrist. "A valiant effort my little snowflake, but you have failed to stop me and will die knowing, when I am done with you, I will take great pleasure from taring her apart."

Sapphire released her throat only to ball the same hand into a fist and knock her out. His quarrel was never with Team RWBY, but he was going to enjoy killing them for their interference, therefore, as he raised and charged his fist with blue threads to make his next punch one that would destroy the heiress' head, he wore a gleeful smile. But before he could bring down his fist, he was shot in the back of the skull by a high calibre sniper round, causing his head to jolt forward.

Angered by the interruption he ignored Weiss and began to slowly rise to his feet. Sapphire planned greeting his attacker before defeating them, but something didn't seem right about the shot, for it seemed too … pointless. Ruby, the obvious culprit for the sniper shot, knew he could withstand such an attack … so what _was_ the point?

Mulling over the options he realised her plan, quickening his movements and turning just in time to catch Ruby's scythe with thread coated hands. He held the top of the weapon in his grasp, the blades pushing into his right hand. It was a grudge match; Ruby putting all her strength into driving the scythe through his face whilst he struggled to keep it back.

"You possess an incredible amount of strength little girl," he uttered, staring at the razor sharp tips which hovered only millimetres from his left eye.

He pushed on the head of the scythe, forcing it back long enough for him to free his right hand, ball it into a tight fist and throw a reversed punch.

The back of his fist connected with the side of Ruby's head, causing her to let go of her scythe and turn on the spot and let out a yelp of pain from the small amount of force he put behind the attack. When she was completely facing the other direction, Sapphire reached out and curled his free hand around the fabric of her hood. He pulled, twisting at the same time and throwing Ruby like she was nothing.

After spiralling through the air her small frame connected and bounced along the stonework. She was defeated, but Sapphire wanted to ensure her utter destruction before returning to ending Weiss. Therefore, the Blue Knight spun the scythe within his grasp, repositioning the weapon before throwing it like a javelin.

In the distance Ruby stumbled to her feet, holding the sides of her throbbing head, but she had to continue … she had to ensure he didn't harm Weiss, that he … that he – Ruby's eyes widened in shock as she witnessed _Crescent Rose _coming towards her, her reflexes proving to be impaired by her injuries, for the barrel of the weapon collided with her face, knocking her out on impact.

Sapphire gave a broad, hateful smile as he watched the hooded girl collapse, wondering if it was time to end Ruby or finish his business with Weiss. But when he realised how much Ruby's death would affect Krev, he came to a decision and sprinted in the direction of the young leader. However, after a few strides, he halted, knowing that another member of the first year team was about to attack.

He turned and summoned a barrier comprised of threads, blocking a strike from Blake.

"Hello kitten," Sapphire breathed, goading her.

Blake was instantly enraged by his remark and unleashed a flurry of swipes, but no matter how many different angles she tried or how many clones she conjured to confuse Sapphire, she was never able to penetrate his defensive strategy. For what felt like minutes the pair sparred, Blake acting as the aggressor as Sapphire effortlessly blocked her assault with barriers.

Their battle ended with Sapphire as the victor, the Blue Knight having seen her style countless times before and using his knowledge to predict her next attack. Confident he knew how she was about to strike, Sapphire coated both his hands with threads and intercepted _Gambol Shroud_, catching the blades.

Blake was astonished by his action and he used it to his advantage. Sapphire thrusted his head forward with incredible force, his forehead smashing into her face and breaking her nose with a loud crack. Blake cried out in pain and instinctively loosened her grip on _Gambol Shroud_'s pieces, allowing Sapphire to wrench them from her grasp, grab her by the neck and lift Blake off her feet in one swift movement.

He glared at Blake, finding pleasure in her desperate attempt to free herself from his grasp and the blood which poured from her deformed nose.

"R-W-B … B! Oh, look, I got the third member again! Lucky me!" he shouted gleefully. "Now, let's see what terrible little secrets you have in that pretty head of yours."

Sapphire surrounded his free hand in a light coating of threads and grabbed the top of her cranium, granting him an exciting opportunity to delve into Blake's innermost thoughts and darkest secrets as she screamed and convulsed in agony.

"Oh Blake," he breathed, sounding almost disappointed. "No wonder you're such a depressive. You have done such _terrible_ things, _atrocities_ I suspect not even Yang would forgive you for." Sapphire increased the pressure of his grip, making her scream louder. "How can you even live with yourself knowing you fought for the wrong cause, _knowing _no-one will ever love the real you?" he paused, taking pleasure from her pain. "But don't worry, you won't have to deal with this burden any longer."

Sapphire increased the pressure of his grip once more, aiming to repeat history and execute Blake – the Faunus whom committed many sins – the exact same way he had killed Valery. However, as he felt her cranium begin to give way to his strength, he was interrupted by Yang.

"NO!" screamed the blonde, her shriek taring his focus away from Blake and forcing the Blood Angel to awaken from his dreamless sleep.

Krev rolled onto his front with a groan, resting his palms on the hard floor. He pushed, using the leverage to lift his aching body and sit up. Despite the regeneration of his Guardian and the considerable amount of healing his entire body, even his clothes, felt like lead weights, so he was still incapable of helping RWBY immediately and was forced to witness what transpired.

Sapphire threw Blake to the ground as he had done with Krev, turning on the spot to fight his next opponent, but Yang attacked with such ferocity he was unable to block a single hit.

Yang had taken him off guard, leaving him defenceless as she landed strikes which carried incredible power, her strength having been increased ten-fold by his direct punch.

He was failing on the spot and this time he could feel the agony of every strike, but even through his pain and the swiftness of her assault, Sapphire was still able to see the fury which burned in her eyes, the hatred which did not equal her previous display of fury, but far surpassed it.

As Yang attacked the Blue Knight her teammates regained consciousness, their collective attention honing in on Sapphire and the fact he was vulnerable, therefore; without even the need to call out the names of any formations or strategies, the three remaining team members knew what needed to be done, using this knowledge to force themselves into ignoring their injuries and continuing the battle.

Ruby, Weiss and Blake grabbed their weapons off the ground and charged forward, joining Yang in her assault a few seconds later. Ruby and Blake attacked Sapphire from opposing sides as Weiss hacked away from behind, all four girls entering a coordinated onslaught.

Vicious punches and limb severing strikes landed across the entirety of Sapphire's dwindling Guardian, their assault impressing the Blood Angel and making him believe, for the first time that night, they could actually defeat his enemy, however; as victory seemed close, Sapphire pulled a miracle out of thin air.

"ENOUGH!" Sapphire cried, spreading out his arms.

A massive shockwave of threads burst forth from his body and struck the four girls, instantly lifting them – including Yang – off their feet and sending them spiralling away in four different directions. Krev had seen, _no_, he had _experienced_ this counterattack before and knew history was repeating itself, _knew _Team RWBY wouldn't succeed on four separate fronts against Sapphire.

Before the Blood Angel could even force his weak form to react, Sapphire splayed one of his hands and fired four streams of threads from the fingertips. The streams tore through the air, chasing after and encasing the four members of Team RWBY in cocoons of blue threads. The girls were instantly suspended in mid-air, but Sapphire wasted no time in thrusting the same, splayed hand in the direction opposite to Krev.

It was unclear if Sapphire already knew the Blood Angel had awoken, but his actions, his choice of placement, gave Krev the perfect angle to watch as his saviours hurtled through the air and collided with the other end of her dome. Their backs smashed against the mystic barrier, causing all four girls – who were ironically lined up in team order – to emit cries of pain. Unsurprisingly the Blue Knight never relented and kept his hand raised in their direction, keeping them pinned against the dome's interior.

"This is what you get for interfering!" he yelled before slowly closing his hand, creating a fist which commanded his threads to crush those within his grasp.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang's brief cries of pain were nothing in comparison to the screams which escaped their lips; blood-curdling shrieks which horrified Krev and prompted him to act.

He needed to act quickly, but due to the extent of his earlier blast he knew _Crimson Force _had runout of sufficient power to unleash another and he didn't have the time to reload his weapon, so there was only one option remaining…

The Blood Angel took hold of _Crimson Force_ as he rose to his feet, conjuring a new set of crystal wings.

"RELEASE THEM!" Krev ordered, his face twisted into a snarl.

Krev flapped his wings and rushed towards Sapphire, his feet not even touching the ground as he closed the gap between them.

He was upon the Blue Knight in a blink of an eye, his natural ability to fight with swords and bladed wings taking over as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, but Sapphire's abilities had been advancing over the last few hours, _evolving _in fact, allowing him to perform impossible feats in a world of magic. Sapphire had, however, always possessed the capability to sense the Children of Fate when they were close by, therefore, he did not require any of his newfound power to know the Blood Angel was inbound.

Sapphire turned as Krev brought down his first strike, intercepting it with a barrier he created with the mere flick of the wrist. For a moment, as they entered into a battle where swords and crystals were blocked by threads, Krev thought he'd broken the Blue Knight's concentration, for Sapphire was rapidly moving _both _hands to parry his attacks with circular barriers, but RWBY was still being crushed by an intensifying force.

The urgency of the situation prompted Krev to increase the speed of his strikes, using what little strength he possessed to break Sapphire's unwavering concentration. This status quo only lasted a moment longer, for the Blue Knight quickly rotated on the spot and brought down the back of a fist like a hammer, forcing Krev off his feet and his face smashing onto the ground. Sapphire then kicked Krev in the face, the tip of his boot connecting with the Blood Angel's forehead.

Krev was lifted off the ground and into the air, releasing a pain-filled breath, expecting to feel his ankle being grabbed, pulled and his face punched any moment, but Sapphire didn't complete Ashley's technique and added his own twist, balling his left hand into a fist before throwing a punch which connected with Krev's sternum.

Due to the sheer power behind the attack Krev was unable to sustain his grip on _Crimson Force_, letting go of the two blades as he spiralled through the air and subsequently ricocheted across the ground with _such _force that his crystal wings shattered.

The Blood Angel came to a sudden stop over thirty feet away from Sapphire. He was badly bruised and was in a lot of pain, but he couldn't allow his enemy to kill his allies … he couldn't let Sapphire kill Yang.

Through pure determination alone Krev quickly got back to his feet, fully intending to fight Sapphire with his bare hands.

"Please," Sapphire growled under his breath, rolling his eyes at the sight of Krev's determination to – from his point of view – die horribly for a quartet of people he barely even knew.

The Blue Knight gave a dismissive wave of the hand, shooting a cluster of threads at Krev from his fingertips. The threads closed the gap in milliseconds and wrapped around the Blood Angel's form, leaving only his head exposed.

"Now stay there!" Sapphire barked. He really didn't enjoy the idea of holding Krev captive, but what choice did he have? Besides, he was going to enjoy making the Child of Fate watch.

Sapphire turned his full attention back to the four girls, lifting a hand as he looked at their pain stricken faces, increasing the pressure and their pain, making them cry out even louder.

"Are _they _the reason you defied _me_, Krev?" the madman shouted. "Were you merely trying to impress them? Does your defiance stem from a need to act all 'heroic' for this little team of WHORES!"

"Please, I'm begging you," Krev yelled in desperation, "please stop this!"

"You could have stopped this long before it even began!" Sapphire replied, increasing the pressure of his threads. "You could have joined me!"

"Please, I'm begging … stop hurting them!"

"Who knows?" the madman uttered, shrugging, ignoring Krev. "Perhaps when they're dead, maybe then you'll join me."

Sapphire increased the pressure one final time, slowly closing his hand to make a tight fist to escalate RWBY's suffering.

"NO!" Krev screamed, his fury unlocking, for just a moment, an aspect of his true power.

The blue energy coating his body turned into blood-red crystals, allowing Krev, in his passion, to shatter the crystals by spreading out his arms and break free. Krev staggered forward and remained perfectly still, astonished by what occurred only a heartbeat ago.

He was a Child of Fate, therefore, he just defied the laws of nature and reached into Sapphire, interacting and manipulating his Aura for merely an instance to convert his threads – an extension of his soul – into crystals.

Sapphire was also surprised by the latest development, for not even he was capable of truly manipulating the Aura within or around another. Sure he could reach inside a person's mind through their soul, but the complete manipulation of Aura, of the soul … the very reason _why_ the Children of Fate existed, would take years to unlock as an ability, let alone successfully use it the first time….

Krev Melek was indeed like his parents. He was brilliant, powerful and possessed a natural ability to destroy a person's view of the world, but most of all he possessed the capability to exceed expectations and to make others wonder … for Krev just tapped into the power shared by all of the Children, Mastery of the Soul, an ability he should _not_ have been able to utilise without training.

Due to his amazement, Sapphire's concentration wavered for a fraction of a second. Not much time to perform an overly complex manoeuvre, but for Yang … this was all the time she needed.

The blonde had been aware of everything which had transpired beyond her cocoon, an awareness gifted to Yang by her Semblance, because the entire time Sapphire had been applying a great deal of force upon her and the rest of Team RWBY, he had been causing Yang pain and, subsequently, feeding her Semblance, bestowing not only strength, but an ability to resist the pressure that had overwhelmed her teammates.

Yang now possessed the might of a god and yearned to use it against Sapphire, but his threads had been unyielding. They were weaker now, she could feel it, but they were still nearly indestructible, so she thought back to all the atrocities Sapphire had caused, all the lives he had taken and still wished to destroy: NOVA … Krev … Weiss … Blake … her sister!

With her soul fuelled by anger, Yang emitted a bellow of rage which shamed the most frightening of Grimm and broke free. Her actions caught Sapphire's attention, but this didn't matter anymore. Sapphire was in a state of shock; astonishment caused by Krev's display of power and intensified by Yang, for he could not even _begin_ to comprehend how she also freed herself from his grasp, meaning he was quickly consumed by a bewilderment which hindered his ability to react.

The instant her feet touched the ground Yang rushed forward, using her strength to launch herself at Sapphire. Yang dragged a fist behind her until she was upon him and threw it with all her strength, a fist which connected with the side of his head.

Yang felt the energy of her strike transfer through her fist to his face. She also felt her knuckles obliterating not only his Guardian, but a large amount of his features in the process before sending him spiralling towards Krev.

The Blood Angel was forced from his catatonic state upon seeing Yang's powerful, face destroying punch. He was elated, but at the same time enraged, for this was the moment. It was the opportunityhe had been waiting for, but he didn't currently possess _Crimson Force _and couldn't retrieve it, so what was he going to use to finally end Sapphire's life?! He needed a sword, and because a small part of him already knew he could do it, Krev put his hands together and focused.

A curved longsword comprised entirely of blood-red crystals formed between his hands, its presence prompting Krev to swipe horizontally as Sapphire's limp form passed him.

Time slowed down for the Blood Angel, allowing him to observe every grotesque detail.

Out of the corner of his eye he watched as the blade of his crystal sword penetrated Sapphire's armour and sliced through his waist, easily cutting the Blue Knight in half. Krev turned to see the damage and watched as the top piece of Sapphire's corpse – his torso, arms and head – and the bottom half of Sapphire's corpse – hips, thighs, legs and every other sensitive area – separated and ricocheted across the stonework, leaving nasty residue in their wake.

Sapphire was finally dead and the dome was fading, meaning they had won, but all Krev could do was stare at the sword in his hands as it dissipated.

_I haven't truly won._

Krev had used the power Sapphire and his brethren had cursed the Children of Fate, cursed _him_, with, _power_ the madman had tried to use as a temptation for joining his cause. Krev hadn't given in during the opening stages of their conflict and swore to himself as their conflict continued, even as RWBY battled Sapphire, that he would _never _tap into his unnatural gifts beyond his Semblance and yield to Sapphire's desire for him to feel the true capability of a Child of Fate. Yet, here he was, staring at his palm, having just used his powers _twice_.

The first time was out of his control, but the second time was avoidable – he hadn't needed to summon a crystal object out of thin air without using a weapon as his 'catalyst', but he chose to.

Krev liked to think he would learn from the experience and renounce his abilities, never tapping into them ever again, but life didn't work like that. Also, if he was to fight the cult and win…

Nothing was guaranteed.

The Blood Angel's train of thought had come to a natural conclusion, but it still felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach and wrenched him from his thoughts when he heard it … when he heard coughing and wheezy breathes coming from the top part of Sapphire's corpse. It had shocked him, but the sensation quickly faded and was replaced by silent fury.

With the dome gone, the crowd Yang had gathered stayed back and watched in confusion and awe as Krev walked up to the severed body and gazed into its eyes with scathing contempt. The image was methodical, for the moonlight shined off Krev's hair and jacket, both of which were flowing from light wisps of cool air.

"I need details, Sapphire," Krev said coldly. "I want the name of your group, the names of its members and the names of the other Children."

Blood oozed from Sapphire's mouth and ran down the sides of his broken face, the emptiness in his eyes conveying that death would take him soon.

"I know you wish to destroy us," Sapphire replied, holding Krev's stern glare, "but telling you names, locations … it would be pointless. You see, we may have separated almost two decades ago, but our numbers have continued to grow, our cause has spread and plans we formed long ago, even before the spell, have been put in motion … you would never find them all."

"You seem to doubt my zeal, Sapphire," Krev retorted with a smile, "which surprises me, because you know how determined my parents were … you know how determined _I am_, so take heed in what I'm about to say: Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will hunt down every member of your goddamn cult and _gut_ _them_ as you watch from Hell."

Krev was done with their conversation and turned to depart. He approached Yang, who had been standing in the exact same spot where she had attacked Sapphire and began the manoeuvre which ended the battle. As he got closer, he saw how wide her eyes had become. She was stunned, so was everyone else who was observing, but he didn't care about their opinions, only Yang's and the opinions of her teammates.

Thinking of the others, his surviving team members included, Krev was about to ask Yang to ensure they were okay as they heard it, the words which made him stop dead in his tracks only a foot away from Yang…

"The rest of your life you say?!" Sapphire yelled, wheezing between sentences. "Then I'll be seeing you soon!"

Krev knew exactly what he was implying; Sapphire was mocking him, which wasn't unusual, but he was saying that if Krev followed any sort of quest to destroy the others, then he would fail and join him in death.

Containing his wrath, the Blood Angel bent down and grasped the hilts of his swords, lifting the two halves of his weapon from the ground as he straightened his back and looked Yang directly in the eye, giving her a stern expression.

"Go check on your sister," he breathed.

Yang wasn't sure what Krev had planned, but she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. Therefore, Yang followed his advice and ran over to Ruby, dropping to her knees and hugging her awakening sister the instance she was within range.

Krev watched as Yang fussed over Ruby, checking her over for any major injuries. Ruby insisted she was fine and broke free of her older sister's embrace, apologising as she crawled over to Weiss and explained that her partner took a worse beating. Yang looked cute as she thought over this for a moment before agreeing, deciding to do the same. She hurried over to Blake and knelt down next to her, taking the Faunus within her arms. Yang then helped her partner to sit up and made sure she – Blake – tilted her head forward to prevent any blood from her broken nose going upward, but Blake insisted the blood had dried out and her nose was healing.

It was sweet to see the two girls interacting in such a friendly manner after the battle, Yang suggesting that she took Blake to the infirmary soon to ensure the Faunus' nose could be set properly, because she didn't want her friend's 'cute nose' ruined. This made Blake giggle, a glint of happiness shining in her eyes as she defied the blonde's orders and looked up to meet Yang's. They just sat there like that for a moment, gazing into each other's souls as Yang affectionately stroked her partner's onyx hair.

Within that instance it struck him like a train, a realisation that turned Krev's genuine smile into a grimace … a revelation he would need to share with Yang later.

There was still one last thing he needed to do before the night was over.

Krev turned on his heel and began to march towards Sapphire. As he approached his dying enemy, the Blood Angel collapsed the blades of _Crimson Force _and brought the hilts together, causing the pieces to change, interlock and crawl up his left arm. He then loaded the Dust cartridge from his back pocket into _Crimson Force_'s cannon form, restoring it to full power.

Krev halted and stood over Sapphire, his feet merely an inch away from the … 'residue' which leaked from the Blue Knight. He then raised his arm, pointing the end of _Crimson Force_'s barrel at the middle of Sapphire's torso.

"You may kill me," his adversary growled. "But like a father I am a part of all my offspring … including you."

Without responding Krev punched the air with the cannon, unleashing an energy beam which engulfed what remained of Sapphire and forced a blood-curdling scream from his lips as he was atomised. After several seconds the Blood Angel stopped and lowered his weapon, allowing him to see that Sapphire no longer existed, that his body had been replaced with a deep, dark crater.

Krev, regrettably, did not feel a sense of relief. Instead he became acutely aware of the people staring at him and looked up, his eyes landing upon several alarmed pupils standing only ten feet away. He then looked left and right, quickly scanning the stunned, scared and/or confused faces which comprised the rest of the crowd before turning to meet the gaze of those whose expressions mattered to him.

Unfortunately the four now-standing girls all wore the same shocked expression, a look which did not only convey confusion, but fear as well.

Even Yang wore this expression.

Krev looked down in sadness and exhaled, realising that he hadn't just killed another … he had just killed another on school grounds. He also realised that – if they hadn't before – they would _all _certainly fear him now.

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**A/N: Sapphire has been defeated, but it's not the end of the story just yet. **

**Chapter 12, the final instalment of this story, will be up shortly, so in the meantime please remember to favourite, follow and review this story.**

**Take care, **

**ChildOfFate16 **


	13. Ch12: Time To Say Goodbye

**A/N: Hello all followers, favouriters (real word), reviewers and/or casual readers. I know it's been a while and I do apologise. I completed the final chapter and the epilogue a few weeks ago and wished to put them up immediately, **_**not **_**a month later, but my internet has been a right … well, let's just say a 'nuisance' for almost a month and I've been having problems logging in to as well. Well my internet has decided to behave for today **_**and**_** I can log in, hence my sudden return.**

**Isn't it nice when technology actually works? :)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the final instalments of **_**Defying **__**Fate**_**.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Time To Say Goodbye**

Thursday had been … interesting, to say the least.

Over the course of one day many lives had been lost, a member of some _twisted_ cult having killed them using a power many could not even begin to comprehend. Krev, regrettably, understood where his enemy's incredible gifts came from and knew that it wasn't only the reason _why _the madman had chosen to approach, convince and subsequently take over Sapphire's body and destroy the original Blue Knight's soul, but that his power – the cruel Sapphire's power – appeared to be limitless…

Sapphire was, like himself, a Child of Fate. It was the reason why they shared a bond, why they were friends and why Sapphire – the _real _Sapphire – had listened to Krev's views on the world and secretly agreed with them. They were brothers in the loosest sense of the word, or, at least, _had _beenbrothers.

The conversation with Sapphire had been extensive and covered a variety of subjects, revealing that he was not born into the Wanderer tribe … that his parents had been members of the unnamed group who made the Children of Fate using a spell … that his parents had become guilty and decided to hide the children taken/offered for the cause, giving them to families who were willing to change their new child's name and spend the rest of this lives running from people like Sapphire. But unable to leave their own son with another family, they kept him for themselves and joined the Wanderers to remain safe.

Treachery that would lead to their deaths … treachery that would leadto Sapphire tracking them down, killing them, then wiping the entirety of the Wanderer tribe from the face of the planet out of pure spite.

Krev didn't know what to think about his parents and their actions, finding himself wondering more about the others like him. How many 'Children' existed? Where were they? He also wondered if Sapphire, in his previous body, had convinced the others to join the cause. It was plausible, but Krev had to believe he and the original Sapphire had been the first Children of Fate the maniacal Blue Knight or any other cult member had encountered…

He had to believe there was still a chance to find the others and stop the New Destiny, the plot Sapphire and his brethren had set in motion eighteen years before when they created the Children using a spell – a scheme which ended with the destruction of freewill, _destruction _Krev and the other Children were destined to facilitate using an unnatural ability to reach inside another and control their Aura, allowing for direct and absolute manipulation of the soul.

After the battle, Krev and the others – or at least the survivors – had been escorted by Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood to Beacon's medical facility. It was a nice, sterile environment full of doctors and nurses who were used to students cut and bruised after a sparring match, _not _a full-scale conflict. It was definitely a change of pace the medical staff never wanted and were surprised by, but they acted quickly, patching up any major injuries before providing several beds for the wounded to rest.

Sleep, however, did not come until the early hours.

Protocol dictated that patients wore white garments, but they never changed into the attire provided. Were their clothes dirty? Were they dishevelled? Yes. Did Krev or any of the others care? No. Therefore, Krev spent the majority his time in the medical facility in his combat uniform and surrounded by those who helped him win the fight against Sapphire.

Funnily enough it was not Ozpin or Ironwood who pressed him for answers immediately, knowing he needed time to – in Ozpin's words – 'process everything that had occurred and rest before reporting to his office', but his fellow patients.

Krev distinctly remembered where they all were, staring at him, watching his every move as he sat up in bed and explained everything: Amber had been on the edge of the bed to his left bed; Silver laid on the bed to Krev's right; Blake had sat crossed legged on the bed parallel to his, a small metal plate across her nose to ensure it healed properly; Ruby and Weiss stood by the end of his bed, the young leader looking concerned as the heiress appeared focused, her arms folded over her chest.

But it was Yang he remembered the most, for the blonde had not opted to sit on the edge of him to comfort him, but rather chose to stand at the end of Amber's bed, arms tightly crossed under her chest as concern and fear consumed her features.

They were all sitting or standing closely together for several hours, listening intently as questions were asked and detailed answers were given, but Krev never made any of the enquiries. It had been the other six students who asked questions, for Krev was the only one qualified enough to have answered any of their queries.

"But why did he kill NOVA, or Valery?" his crimson counterpart asked, looking more confused after his tale than anything else.

"Because he could," he coldly replied, "because he wanted to. Sapphire wished to test his new capabilities against NOVA and believed Valery deserved death."

"Why do you keep calling him that?" asked Silver, wincing from the pain of his swollen cheek – swollen because of his impact with a stone pillar.

"What else am I supposed to call him?" Krev retorted. "He wasn't the Sapphire we knew and I despise calling him by that name, but he didn't exactly provide his original … if he even remembered his original name."

"What makes you say that?" Amber asked, her tone gentle.

"His Semblance, Soul Transference, allowed him to transfer his essence, including his Aura, into another's vessel. It's logical to assume, from his account of witnessing other kingdoms rising and falling, that Sapphire had performed this process many times. It's safe to assume he was hundreds of years old."

"Wow," interjected Ruby.

"Indeed," Krev chuckled, throwing the young girl an amused half-smile.

"You said he was able to transfer his Aura into another," said Blake, "which I understand, but how was he able to wield the abilities Sapphire originally possessed? Wouldn't he have erased, or overwritten those, when he took over?"

"You make a good point," Krev replied. "Sadly I don't understand that either."

Krev liked Blake's capability to ask questions most wouldn't and deduce facts which escaped the attention of others – it reminded him of his own methodical capabilities.

"Whilst we're on the topic of his powers," Weiss interjected, "there's one thing I'd like clarified."

"Go ahead."

"Thank you," she said with a slow nod of appreciation before continuing. "You explained how the so-called 'Children of Fate' were made by this mysterious cult, the group's plans for you and the world, and that you could – with enough practice – manipulate people one day … but you haven't said if you were ever –"

"Tempted?" Krev interrupted, his tone portraying no anger or disgust, only solemnness. "I'm not offended by the question Weiss and understand why you're asking me. You, _all _of you, know I'm not the biggest fan of the society we live in, but the New Destiny – the destruction of freewill … it's not the answer I seek."

There was silence as the others contemplated Krev's words, for the students remembered in that moment they were in the presence of a man who disagreed with everything they valued – everything they had been indoctrinated to believe was right.

No, he would still unite Remnant and bring an end to – as Sapphire had so aptly put it – the 'cycle' of indoctrination, brutal training and death, but on his own terms and in a peaceful manner, _not _the New Destiny.

"So what are you going to do now?" Ruby asked innocently, being the first to speak after several minutes.

Krev didn't reply immediately and instead looked to Yang, his sorrowful eyes locking with her fearful, knowing gaze.

"We'll have to wait and see," he breathed, turning his attention back to Ruby.

Their conversation, as it had been consistently throughout the night, was once again interrupted by another visit from Team JNPR. Krev didn't practically mind though, not because it took everyone's attention away from him, but because it lightened the mood.

Jaune, their leader, seemed to really care for his friends in Team RWBY, so did the others, but they showed it in less traditional ways than asking 'Are you okay?'

Pyrrha called Sapphire's actions 'atrocious' and 'maniacal', using vocabulary Krev appreciated; Nora bounced around, happily stating that she wished she could have been in the dome with them to 'break' many parts of his anatomy; and Ren, a man of few words, observed and assessed everything that was said between friends and strangers before making stoic, methodical additions to the conversations.

Each visit from JNPR had been the same, everything said by its members and everyone else in the medical facility lacking content that would highlight the severity of the battle or the situation as a whole. Krev understood why everyone had chosen to act this way.

Shock.

The survivors of Team KAVS and the entirety of teams RWBY, JNPR and the other students who visited were in shock and couldn't yet accept the full extent of everything that had transpired on their doorstep. Krev, sadly, was more than ready accept, examine and make a decision based on _everything _that had occurred.

After their last, thirty minute visit, JNPR left the medical facility to retire for the night. With the team gone, Krev expected another round of questions, but none came. Instead the four members of Team RWBY decided it was time to leave as well, their reasoning being that Krev and his friends needed some rest before the sun began to rise. He enquired about their own injuries, but they insisted on leaving to take showers, change into some clean clothes and sleep in their own beds for the rest of the night, or, at least, Ruby, Weiss and Blake had been insistent, Yang, on the other hand, had remained quiet the entire time they had been in the facility.

He understood why, but that wasn't the time to discuss it.

With permission to sleep and all sound abandoning the room, Amber and Silver easily fell asleep from exhaustion. Krev was tired like his associates, but even with his head resting on a soft pillow he still tossed and turned for over an hour before lightly dozing. He remained on the periphery of REM sleep for many hours before the light of the setting sun filtered in and washed over his closed eyes, the glare waking him up entirely.

It was late the next day, around 6:00pm, meaning his distracted mind had rested for several hours. He probably didn't need any more, so Krev decided it was time to bite the bullet and got up.

He still ached from the fight, but his movements weren't impaired, allowing Krev to use the medical facility's bathroom to shower, wash his hair, dry and re-dress before exiting the infirmary and speaking a simple request to the guard stationed at the door. However, as he approached the doorway, a familiar voice temporally barred his path.

"What if it doesn't go to plan?" Amber tentatively asked from her bed.

Krev didn't bother to turn around, seeing as there was no point in meeting her worried gaze. He did not reply immediately either, allowing a tense silence to fill the air as he contemplated his options.

"Then I'll have to do it alone."

"Impossible," Amber responded. "No, if what you're about to do next plays out the way we both _know_ it'll play out, then you're going to need us, Krev."

"What are you suggesting?"

"That Silver and I catch the next airship leaving the school and head to Vale – we'd meet you somewhere inconspicuous and go from there. I'll even use my homing beacon so you can find us."

It was a start, if nothing else, but Krev wasn't one for trusting a person's sudden desire to help another, especially after years of conflicting views.

"Do whatever you want," he said icily, leaving the room to make his request.

"Take me to see the General…."

"Krev?" asked a familiar voice.

The Blood Angel's hollow gaze broke from the ground, looking up to meet Ozpin's concerned eyes.

"Sorry," he answered, his mind coming back to reality. "I was thinking about something else."

So there he was, standing in the middle of Professor Ozpin's office with General Ironwood next to his colleague, a meeting that was arranged to discuss what had transpired the previous evening and how to respond.

"I don't blame you," Ozpin remarked with a smile, "you've been through a lot. All I asked was: How are you feeling?"

"Friends of mine are dead because a madman wanted me to join his cult," Krev sternly replied, giving the honest answer. "How do you think I feel?"

"We understand you're in no mood to continue with this conversation," said Ozpin, "but we must contemplate everything you have told us and consider what we can do to prevent their plans from coming to fruition."

"I agree," Krev nodded, "but I haven't heard any suggestions."

Silence fell for a moment before Ironwood interjected.

"Is everything you said true?" the General enquired, sounding concerned and somewhat doubtful.

Krev had only just finished informing the headmasters of everything he and Sapphire discussed, summarising – as he had done with Team RWBY, Amber and Silver – the events of the battle and a majority of the revelations: How the Sapphire they fought really wasn't Sapphire, why the unnamed group was formed, why the Children of Fate were made, his parents' betrayal, escape and ultimate death. There was only _one_ revelation he did not divulge to the headmasters and one important fact he even hid from the others – the fact he had tapped into his unnatural abilities twice over the course of one day.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I do believe you," Ironwood replied sorrowfully. "It's just we can't spare any resources for chasing after a threat which doesn't yet exist."

"Excuse me?!" Krev said harshly, genuinely surprised by his response.

"I understand the severity of the situation," Ironwood continued, "but the man you fought never gave a specific timeframe for when they would try to complete their plans; it could be weeks, months or even _years_ before they develop into a real threat. No, the real threat is _here_, in Vale."

"The General's right," Ozpin said in his usual calm, sagely tone. "The White Fang are the immediate problem."

Krev wanted to yell at the top of his lungs a whole number of insults whilst trying to get through to their thick skulls that Sapphire's brethren were also an immediate threat, but he remained calm and tried, to the best of his ability, to explain the situation _again_.

"Look, with all due respect, I get it. You're scared the White Fang is planning something big, the Breach only being the start, but Sapphire, his brethren, even the other Children … they're also an immediate threat. It doesn't matter if he provided me with a timeframe or not, because they've been carrying out their plans for decades."

"Exactly," interrupted the General. "Their patient, so they will most likely carry out their endgame in a number of years' time, giving _us_ time to prepare after we defeat the White Fang."

"But what if we're not ready?" Krev urgently questioned. "What if you're right? We spend _decades _fighting the White Fang and _then _they show up to take control, but within that time they've got to the other Children and convinced them to join their cause – like _he_ did with Sapphire!

"We wouldn't be ready for that!

"Also, what if Sapphire's death accelerated their plans and they use _any_ Children they gain to rid the world of freewill when we're not looking?"

"But what if they already possess a great number of the Children and have provided the correct training to hone their abilities?" Ozpin retorted. "What if we fight on two separate fronts, against two enemies we do not fully comprehend and lose because we are unprepared, our focus divided?

"Krev, you have no idea what we'd find out there, if the group are ready and waiting for their opportunity to strike – we could fight them, but we may also lose. Therefore, the best course of action is to dedicate all our resources at the White Fang – the enemy currently at our door – before worrying about another."

"That's it?" Krev said rather scornfully. "Your plan is to hope our enemies line up nicely, like ducks in a row, and happily wait as we deal with them one at a time? Pathetic.

"Also, you seem to believe their ready – right now – and would easily defeat any divided opposition, but as my point was going to be before, _General_, before I was interrupted, they've been carrying out their plans for years. Sapphire seemed anxious, as if he never wanted to wait _this long _to complete their plan for _us_, the Children of Fate.

"In addition, he wasn't stable, suggesting he'd spent years trying to find Children, but to no avail – not exactly the behaviour of someone who'd been successful over the years and found a Child of Fate every other week."

"What's your point?" Ironwood enquired in a gentle, polite tone.

"My point is: If they had the others, or a sufficient amount, then they wouldn't wait and Sapphire wouldn't have been on the verge of what appeared to be a mental breakdown. Don't you see? They're not ready, which means we have the perfect opportunity to hunt down and _kill_ every last one of them before they even find the other Children."

"You argue a good case," Ozpin said with a courteous nod, "but it's purely speculation."

"Hypocrite!" Krev spat. "You form _irrational_ conclusions based on what I've told you, then I put forward my _sound_ deduction and it's called 'speculation'?! But what did I expect from _you_?!"

"You seem quite certain about how prepared they are," the General interjected, trying to defuse the tension between student and colleague. "Krev, are you certain there's no –?"

"What?! A connection?" the Blood Angel harshly replied. "Please. Sapphire tried to convince me we were family, but that's it! Besides, I despise this _sect _and all who follow it as much as I despise _you_, _both _of you."

Krev broke eye contact with the General to give Professor Ozpin a loathing glare, a look which the headmaster of Beacon Academy was more than happy to return.

"Now that's not fair," Ironwood said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I want to help you … but Oz is right; we're not prepared to take such a risk."

"Don't pretend you're an innocent victim in all this!" Krev said venomously. "I know what Valery did for you."

"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding and looking genuinely surprised.

_He should really win an award for his acting_, Krev thought sardonically.

"The plans for my weapon, the ones Amber had on her computer … I know Valery gave you a copy."

"General, is this true?" asked Ozpin as he turned his chair to look up at his counterpart.

"You saw what _Crimson_ _Force_ is capable of," Ironwood said defensively. "We needed to know how it worked."

As the headmasters discussed the morality of stealing information from students, Krev turned on the spot and headed for the lift.

"Where are you going, Mr. Melek?" Beacon's headmaster asked rather politely, but Krev could feel the contempt oozing from every word.

The Blood Angel halted a few feet from the door, but he didn't turn around to reply.

"I've had enough of this bullshit," he proclaimed sternly. "If neither of you are going to help, then I'll have to handle the situation alone."

"You can't leave," stated Ironwood. "You're a student at –"

"Not anymore," Krev snapped, taking enjoyment from interrupting his _former _headmaster. "I'm renouncing my student status."

The Blood Angel left before they could speak another word, leaving the General in a state of astonishment. However, by departing so swiftly with a determination to not even look at either of the men before the lift doors closed, believing they didn't even deserve that much, Krev missed the gleeful smile which played across Ozpin's lips…

The smile of man playing a long and dangerous game.

The lift's journey to the ground floor took several minutes, giving Krev the opportunity to contemplate his next move. He wasn't, however, questioning whether or not Amber and Silver would meet him in Vale considering his last interaction with the technological expert. Instead he was thinking about Yang, or more specifically, whether or not he should say goodbye to her before departing. It was tempting to just leave, to spare himself and Yang the pain, but after everything they'd been through, after everything they had discussed the previous night … he didn't want to begin his quest until discussing a very important topic with her.

The doors of the lift parted and Krev stepped into the passage which he, his team and NOVA had walked down after their arrival in Vale. Their arrival felt like an entirely different lifetime, which didn't surprise him…

So much had changed since then.

Walking down the long, tall, empty corridor, Krev took his eyes off the architecture and looked forward. The sight before him genuinely amazed the Blood Angel, for Ruby, Weiss and Blake stood a few feet away, their posture and lack of conversation suggesting they were waiting for something.

"I didn't expect to see you three," he said in a friendly tone, halting beside them as they turned to see who gave the greeting.

He studied them for a moment as they registered his presence, taking note of their clothes. They had obviously decided to change out of their combat gear and into more casual, yet still combat orientated attire: Ruby's stockings, boots and hood were still present, but she had decided to wear a black-grey dress with red fabric underneath which adorned her symbol on the hem instead of her black corset; Weiss had opted to wear a subtle white coat and thigh-high boots – an outfit which really … _complimented_ her form, to say the least; and Blake had chosen to wear what appeared to be a white blouse and black jeans, boots, bow and ribbons, the last of which were tied around her forearms.

"I got a message from Amber," Ruby said rather solemnly.

"It said you were all leaving if things didn't go according to plan with Professor Ozpin and the General," added Weiss, her tone mimicking her leaders. "Apparently she left for Vale, with Silver, on the last airship for the day."

Krev smirked to himself, amused by Amber's uncanny ability to really surprise him sometimes. She had sent the majority of Team RWBY his way to help ease the pain caused by failing to enlist support, something he never would have expected Amber to do and would need to thank her for.

"So…" said Ruby, elongating the single word. "Did everything go according to plan?"

"No," Krev admitted, his tone lighter than usual. "I wished to obtain Ozpin's and Ironwood's combined support for stopping the cult, but the headmasters have no desire – to paraphrase them – 'take risks' and split their resources, especially for an enemy who they view _not_ to be an immediate threat."

"Outrageous," Weiss yelled, lightly stomping one of her heels on the carpeted floor. "They're so concerned about the White Fang they're not looking at the facts. No, you know what, _we _should go up there and –"

"Weiss," he said with a smile. "I appreciate the sentiment, but no matter what you might say they wouldn't budge."

"That's why you're leaving, isn't it?" Blake enquired, her eyes conveying an understanding which saddened her. "They're not offering support, but you're still going to stop them."

"Not just that," he clarified. "I need to find answers and the others like me … I need to destroy the sect before their precious New Destiny comes into effect."

"That could take years."

"Perhaps," he shrugged, giving the Faunus a wry smile.

"And it's insane!" Weiss interjected. "Look, you seem perfectly capable of handling yourself in a fight, but we almost _died_ just fighting _one_ member of that group. Granted he was inside a Child of Fate's body and could use their gifts … _your _gifts against us, but that was with five of us, _not_ three. Krev, think about this, if you, Amber and Silver try taking on the sect alone, and possibly Children of Fate they've been able to brainwash, then you might fail."

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed joyously. "Oh, wait, sorry for sounding happy, but I meant to sound happy, not because I like the idea of you dying, but I-I mean, oh man, just … let me start over. Okay, I sounded happy because I just thought of something – we could come with you!"

"It does seem efficient," added Blake. "Seven tracking down an unknown amount with unknown power could prove more successful."

"No," Krev sternly replied.

"But together we stand a better cha –"

"I refuse your assistance," he said to Ruby. "I once again appreciate the sentiment, but I won't require your help. I'm confident we – Amber, Silver and myself – can find the other Children before the sect and convince them to join _our _cause in defeating those who twisted fate, _our _fates, and cursed us with unnatural, _evil_ abilities which can destroy what makes us people."

"That's a dangerous move," Blake said with an approving smile, "but you should be fine if you sell it like that."

"A stupid move if you ask me," said Weiss, crossing her arms.

"Weiss is right," Ruby whined. "Krev, are you sure about this? What if you need us and we're not there?"

"I'm sure," he nodded. "Besides, I don't want you getting in trouble."

"How would we get in trouble?"

"Leaving school before graduation is illegal," explained Blake. "All teenagers who enrol into a school, or an academy like Beacon, must stay until graduation or transfer to another institution, otherwise you renounce your student status and essentially become an outlaw if you refuse to come back."

"Why?"

"Because you've wasted time, money and other resources that could have been used training another … so Krev, I guess that means your a –"

"Yeah," he interrupted. "I'm no longer a student and officially a criminal in the eyes of the law. I could be cleared of all charges if I chose to stay or came back at a later date before the end of my education years, but I'm guessing I won't be done by then. Actually, I wonder why Ironwood hasn't sent guards after me yet."

"Head start?" Blake casually suggested. "Did he give any indication of emotional support?"

"He did, so I suppose you're right."

"Are you sure you don't want us to come along?" asked Weiss, looking very concerned.

"I'm definitely sure," he replied. "Apart from getting into trouble your fight is _here_, in Vale, against the White Fang."

"Sorry if I offend anyone," said Ruby, unsubtly looking at Blake as she spoke, "but your problem seems a lot bigger right now."

"No, it's not. Ozpin and Ironwood are right when it comes to the White Fang; their planning something big, something we can't even begin to understand without the right information or without them making another move, so even though my problem involves world domination, we have yet to discover what the White Fang truly wish to achieve. It could be Faunus dominance over humans, planetary destruction, who knows?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ruby chuckled, "I see your point: 'Mysterious Cult' and White Fang are equally as bad."

"Yes," he replied with a broad smile, "and to be fought on two separate fronts."

An eeriness settled over the students and, of course, _ex_-student at the mention of the word 'separate', because they all knew it would be many years before they – Team RWBY – saw Krev again, and only _if _he succeeded and survived.

"So where's Yang?" he finally asked the three girls. "I wish to say goodbye before I leave."

Ruby, Weiss and Blake looked between themselves, trying to figure out the best way to deliver some form of bad news.

"Well, it's just…" Ruby paused, slightly lost for words as she thought about her sister, "…it's just Yang's taking all this really hard. When she saw the message Amber sent, she refused to see you before you left and went off somewhere."

"She doesn't want you to leave, Krev," the Faunus explained, which was ironic considering what he realised the previous day.

"None of us do," added Weiss. "It's just Yang seems to _really _care about you."

"I know," he replied, looking down ever so slightly in sorrow. "But I refuse to leave things as they are between us before departing. Will you please take me to see her?"

"Sure," Ruby nodded, her tone solemn once more.

The majority of Team RWBY who had opted to greet him after his meeting led the way. Not much was said between Krev, Ruby, Weiss and Blake as they navigated the rest of the building and a small area outside, but their conversation, or rather, their _farewell _continued once they reached and stood in front of the memorial statue – an object that would forever hold an significance for Krev, for it was where his important discussion with Yang had started the previous night.

"I think she's on the central landing pad," said Ruby, pointing down the large pathway which led to the aforemented location.

Yang's choice for hiding away made sense, if a little obvious. For the Blood Angel, this suggested she wished to be found.

"Krev, before you go," Weiss said tentatively, prompting him to turn his full attention to her, "I want you to have _this_." The heiress held out a hand to present a small piece of paper and a small piece of card, both pieces of material clasped between thumb and forefinger. "It's the number of my Scroll and my business card. Granted the business card would connect you with the Schnee Dust Company international headquarters in Atlas, but if you need to reach us and can't connect with my Scroll, they'll find a way to get hold of me."

Krev gently took the paper and card from her and looked them over. The paper had written across it, in rather elegant hand writing, Weiss' name and a number, whilst the white card had the name of the company printed across its front in silver letters and the Schnee company logo – the same symbol Weiss adorned on her other combat uniform – over the top, the number of the company printed across the back in, again, silver letters.

"Thank you, Weiss," he said kindly, "but why have you given me these?"

"In case of an emergency," she replied. "I also wanted to give you a way to stay in touch."

"You want _me _– the feared Blood Angel – to stay in touch?" he genuinely couldn't believe how much things had changed over the last few days.

"Of course, so I want you to _promise_ _me_ you'll keep us updated – just let us know you're safe and winning. I don't want to spend endless nights worrying about you, Amber _or_ Silver."

"I promise," Krev answered with a friendly smile, pocketing the numbers before shaking Weiss' hand. "Thank you again, Weiss."

After shaking the heiress' hand, Krev looked to Blake for another goodbye.

"It's been a pleasure talking to someone else who was raised outside of the kingdoms," Blake remarked, taking Krev's hand.

"Same here," he said. "It's definitely been a while for me too."

He then moved on to Ruby, holding out his hand. Krev expected a third and final handshake, but instead of a formal goodbye, Ruby edged forward and wrapped her arms around Krev's waist for a hug.

"We'll miss you," she mumbled, her face squished against his sternum.

Krev wasn't used to hugs; in fact, he hadn't received such physical affection from anyone in years. It felt odd, yet reassuring and familiar at the same time. It took him a moment to get over the initial shock before he tentatively returned the embrace.

"And I you," he whispered.

Ruby released him a few moments later and stepped back, re-joining her teammates with a gloomy smile on her lips. Looking at the girls before him, Krev decided to show his thanks one last time before departing from their company.

"I cannot express how much I appreciate everything you have done for me and my friends, but know this; I will forever be in your debt."

They smiled at him and he returned it, a sorrowful smile which indeed expressed true happiness, but it was happiness clouded by recent events.

With his relationship with Ruby, Weiss and Blake ending on, for at least the time being, good terms, Krev turned on the spot and began his trek towards the central landing pad, listening, but never responding, to the chorus of 'good lucks' and 'take cares' he received before the girls decided to leave, despite the distance, to give him and Yang some privacy.

* * *

Yang was indeed standing on the central landing pad, looking out onto the darkened city of Vale in sadness. Her expression conveyed this simple, yet destructive emotion precisely, for the blonde's entire being was consumed by sorrow.

There was no mystery behind where this sadness came from or _who _had caused it. It was heartbreak, plain and simple. Yang knew that Krev Melek, the so called 'Blood Angel', would be leaving Vale.

A few days ago she had seen Krev in action against, tragically, the original Sapphire. His display of power and skill had frightened her, but also intrigued and attracted Yang. Therefore, when the opportunity arose, she approached him. Krev had been going through some emotion turmoil and questioning whether or not he would ever succeed in his mission if no-one ever listened, let alone feared and hated him, so he snapped at her. Yang was angry at the time, but she walked away. It was later that same night when she ran into Krev and persuaded him to hold a conversation, asking him questions about his past and the beliefs no-one else, including her, understood.

Krev seemed happy enough to divulge such personal details at the time, which elated Yang, for it meant he did not only wish to speak with her, but with every word he spoke she found herself getting more-and-more … _interested_ in him.

Thanks to their conversation, and regrettably the battle with Sapphire, Yang now understood why Krev carried himself with purpose, _why _he desired to change the world and _why _he never believed _anyone _would ever truly care about _him_ again. Yang just hoped that, after their conversation, he knew one thing; one thing would make him desire to stay…

"I should have known I would find you here."

His voice, his demeanour, the fierce determination he displayed to protect not only her, but also her friends and sister as well were traits – in addition to his natural beauty – which made Krev attractive to Yang.

"Are you surprised?" she asked emotionlessly, not even turning to watch Krev as he halted next to her and stood only a foot away, looking out over the body of water and the city beyond.

"Yes … and no," Krev replied. "I do suppose this place holds a certain significance now, for us both."

"Yeah … it does."

The landing pad had been where Sapphire began the hellish night, but to Yang its significance was more positive, yet still depressing. It had been the place where she realised how she felt about Krev … the place where she had admitted her true feelings for him.

"Yang," he began, "I've been wondering how you got _so many _students and teachers to rush outside in order to help me and my team."

She smiled at the memories, then summarised her actions.

"Pulled the fire alarm in the dormitory building," she explained, "then frantically yelled something about you needing our help to everyone who came outside, then lead the way to the courtyard with Weiss being … well, _Weiss_."

"Snarky, I take it?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Yeah."

"I would be the same," Krev admitted with, what Yang knew was there, a smile playing across his lips. "I like my beauty sleep."

_You don't need it_, Yang thought as she chuckled.

"Everyone came outside and wanted to help," Yang informed him in a gentle tone, "even students staying in the other dormitory building for the festival wanted to find out what was going on, but Team CRDL – Cardin and his brutes – didn't."

"What? Am I, or my team, not popular with them?" he asked amusedly.

"They just didn't wake up," she replied with a smile. "They slept through the fire alarm."

They both giggled for a moment, then a content silence took hold before anyone spoke, time seeming to become an irrelevance.

"I must compliment you on your attire," he said nervously. "What you're wearing right now really umm … suits you."

Krev gave a light cough of embarrassment, prompting Yang to look down and study herself. She was wearing her usual attire because, when compared it to those of her teammates, hers was comprised of fewer and smaller components which took less time to dry after being put through a washer.

"It's what I wore last night."

"I know, but I didn't give you a compliment last night."

"Thank you," said Yang, returning her gaze to the city.

Another moment passed in silence, the atmosphere becoming tense.

"I take it everything is fine between you and Ruby?"

"Yeah," she said, her tone light and soothing. "We talked after leaving the infirmary and we apologised to each other."

"Glad to hear it."

Yet another moment passed in silence, the tense atmosphere becoming unbearable.

"The moon is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Krev whispered, conveying only admiration for the celestial being. "We often take it for granted, but look at it."

"Krev…" she exhaled, not wanting to begin the conversation that would lead to absolute happiness, or absolute heartbreak "…you're making this harder than it has to be, so please … please just spare me from waiting and tell me how your meeting went."

"Badly," he said glumly. "I explained everything to them, but Ozpin and Ironwood have refused to tackle the problem."

"What does that mean?" she asked harshly, already knowing the answer.

"Amber and Silver are already in Vale and awaiting my arrival, which means … which means I'm –"

"Leaving…" Yang uttered sorrowfully "…you're leaving. But why am I surprised? Just like my mother … you're leaving me too."

"Yang, I have to go," he sternly replied. "I need to find answers, the other Children of Fate, but most of all I need to put a stop all the plans Sapphire's group, cult, _whatever _you want to call themhave put in place. I have to stop the New Destiny."

"I know," she said, turning to face him. "And that's why I should go with you."

"What?" Krev responded, copying her action and turning to face her.

"Well it would be suicide for only three people to try stopping all this, and besides … Team KASY sounds catchy."

He lowered his gaze and shook his head, a smile creeping onto his usually melancholic face.

"Yang, thank you, but –"

"I also have a ton of contacts," she said desperately, trying to delay the inevitable. "There's this guy in Vale, he's knows everything and goes by the name of 'Junior'. I've used him in the past and he's pretty good – with information I mean, because he's not a good person. I mean, he flirted with me like _crazy_ a while back and called me 'Sweetheart', so it was pretty fun crushing his … well, let's say 'pride'."

"Yang," he breathed mournfully, "I know what you're doing, but it won't change anything."

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't want you to get in trouble," he angrily replied, "because you're needed _here_, in Vale, to solve the mystery behind the White Fang and stop whatever conspiracy they've instigated, because … because I don't want you getting hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Krev," she growled. "It was sweet before when you said you wanted to protect me, but I _don't _need it."

"I know, and believe me, _I know_. I've seen you fight and we killed Sapphire, _together_, so I know what you're capable of. But Yang, please, you have to believe me when I say I want to be with you, but not like this, not with everything I've realised."

"Sapphire was right," she said, folding her arms, "you really are stubborn."

"Guilty as charged," Krev said with a wry smile.

Yang didn't know if she wanted to punch him or ki– … and with that thought, an idea – a desire – popped into Yang's mind.

"But maybe there's something I can do to convince you to stay," she uttered, lowering her arms and giving him a lustful gaze.

"That being?"

Not wanting to speak another word, Yang closed her eyes and puckered her lips. She leaned forward, her heart fluttering as she imagined what was about to happen next – what should finally convince the 'Blood Angel', the man she deeply cared for, to stay with her at Beacon.

* * *

Three days ago Krev had arrived at Beacon as the man he'd been for many years; most saw him as cold, ruthless and the type of person who never really cared about anything that transpired around him. They were wrong, of course, for he cared about the world and wanted to make it a better place – he desired to break the cycle. He also, in his own way, loved his team and wanted nothing more than to protect them in battle, but he would never really speak to them or ever truly acquire their undying loyalty because of conflicting views, something that would _never_ change.

Krev would always view the world to be a corrupt place and its inhabitants, even a certain team, _fools_ for believing in a regime built upon, sustained by, and which encouraged violence and blind acceptance. Acceptance that the Grimm were nothing more than demons and the Hunters were paragons of virtue and inner strength.

'_A paragon of virtue and inner strength does not exist, for every man, woman and child has their breaking point…'_

So yeah, Krev would _always _seek to unite Remnant under new, more peaceful ideals, but right now, in the immediacy … he needed to save the world he despised.

Krev smiled to himself, amused by the irony and the way fate just _loved _messing with people, but what was he supposed to do? Was he meant to allow Sapphire's brethren, even converted Children of Fate, to warp the souls of millions and destroy freewill? No, he would _never _allow that to happen! He would _die _before sacrificing his beliefs, even if it meant saving a world where freewill and _true _individualism did not exist in order to, one day, ensure the future he, his tribe and his parents had all once envisioned.

'_You must become transcendent and sacrifice _everything_ to change the world…' _

But in regards to his associates, Krev would always feel guilty for everything he'd done, for all the times he'd shut out his team, argued with Valery and never made time to form a closer bond with Team NOVA, even with Sapphire … the _real_ Sapphire, not the bastard who possessed him, who _killed_ Orion, Violet, Ashley and Valery and harmed every member of Team RWBY, including the woman who stood before him…

Before travelling to Beacon, Krev believed he would spend the rest of his life without a person to share his life with, without a woman he loved and reciprocated those feelings. But after all the pain and all the loss, he was _here_, standing only a hair's breath away from the glorious blonde he'd opened up to the previous night, the glorious blonde who gave him hope…

The glorious blonde he loved.

Yang Xiao Long was an incredible human being, and she was leaning in to kiss him.

Krev felt his heart pounding, his cheeks glowing red and the smile on his lips. He was happy for the first time in a long time, but as the saying goes…

All good things must come to an end.

Krev slowly raised his hand and placed two fingers on her soft lips, stopping her beautiful face only an inch from his own. Krev gulped from the excitement of the previous moment as Yang slowly opened her eyes.

Quietly panting to himself, Krev watched as Yang stepped back and gazed at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her unique, _wonderful_ voice consumed by concern.

Krev didn't know how to summarise his feelings for her and the reason why he stopped his dream from coming true, but he had to explain his actions.

"Yang," he began nervously, "you are the most incredible person I have ever met; you're caring, intelligent, funny, complex and _so_ beautiful I genuinely believe you're a goddess. You're everything I have ever looked for in a woman and much, much more, but out of all your stunning traits, I find you're complexity to be the most attractive."

Krev smiled at her nervously, earning him a small giggle from Yang as they enjoyed the reason why _he_, a complex man, would be attracted to _her_, an equally complex woman.

He saw Yang starting to realise where this was going, heartache written across her magnificent features.

"Yang," he said, breathing out her name like it was the most beautiful sound in the world, "I can feel my heart begging me to kiss you, _urging_ me to set in motion a chain of events that could lead to us getting together, dating and perhaps living happily ever after someday.

"Like I said before, you have to believe me when I say if there was even the _slightest_ chance of that ever happening, I would abandon my self-imposed quest and make a new life in Vale." Krev could feel he was on the edge of tears, his cracked voice desperately trying to expel the words which exposed his soul. "I would speak with Professor Ozpin and attend Beacon, so I could be close to you … in order to be with you."

"Then why don't you?!" she asked furiously.

In addition to her irritation, Yang sounded as if she was about cry at any moment, which pained Krev to hear, but he couldn't give-in to his feelings now.

Krev looked to one side for a moment, trying to form the words that would bring to light the truth about Yang she didn't even realise about herself.

"Because I've seen the way you look at her," said Krev, closing his eyes in sadness.

"Wha–" was the sound Yang emitted, then she asked a coherent question. "What are you talking about, Krev?"

He turned to face her and opened his eyes, prepared to enlighten Yang Xiao Long despite the ache in his chest begging him to stop, begging him to be selfish and begging him to kiss her, but he wasn't that sort of man.

"I've seen those cute, shy glances you give her when she's not looking," he said. "I saw the way you reacted when she was hurt during the battle last night, how angry you became, how … how it looked like a piece of your soul had been destroyed at the mere thought of her death. The way you comforted her also went beyond a friend comforting a friend, or a partner comforting a partner … it was something else Yang, something more."

"You're talking about Blake," she said, unsurprisingly deducing who he was referring too.

"I suppose you have a type." Krev tried to smile, but his heart was in too much pain.

"But I'm not into girls," said Yang, her voice pleading for him to see he was wrong, but he wasn't wrong. "Krev, I want you, I … I need _you_."

_For the love of God, kiss her! Just shut up about Blake and tell the woman you love your lying about Blake! Tell her you don't believe you deserve love, so you made it up about her feelings for Blake on the spot to sabotage your relationship, but now, after seeing her heartache, you want to be with her. Do it now! Do it! You've been through so much, so be happy for once! Live happily ever after! Don't live your life in sorrow!_

Krev heard the voice inside his head trying to persuade him, _enticing_ him to be selfish after everything he'd done and alter the fates – exactly what Sapphire wanted him to do – of two people.

He wouldn't be human if he didn't feel tempted, but he wouldn't do it, he couldn't, not after everything!

"You think you do now," he breathed, "but there will come a time when you realise the truth … when you realise the way you feel about her."

"But I –" she began, but he immediately interrupted her in order to save himself the pain of hearing the words 'Krev, I want you … I need _you'_ when he could do nothing to change anything.

"Yang, I'm not going to be the kind of man who stands in the way of two people who will most likely spend the rest of their lives together in absolute happiness."

She didn't respond and just stared at him, confused and hurt.

Krev might have only known Yang for a few days, but he could feel the passion inside him and believed it to be love. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, so he raised his hand and brushed his fingertips across a blushing cheek, feeling her beauty for the last time.

After a moment of blissful contact, Yang stepped back and turned from him, raising her hands up to her chest to shield a wounded soul.

Krev remained still, touching only the cool air for a second longer as he stared at Yang, as guilt washed over him. After everything he'd said and after everything he'd thought, he still gave-in and touched her! Damn it! Krev slowly curled his hand into a fist and let it drop to his side, looking and feeling regretful, because it was time to say goodbye.

"Yang I –" he was going to apologise, but decided not to. What difference would it make anyway? Krev breathed out and plucked up the courage to say, "Goodbye Yang and … thank you. You have given me _back_ a life without constant suffering, given me hope and given me a reason to save a world I loathe, for _you_, Yang Xiao Long, are a part of it."

He was proud of his goodbye, but Yang didn't move or speak, telling him it was time to leave.

Without saying another word, Krev turned on the spot and began to walk away in one motion, making his way across the landing pad to stand on the edge. He took a moment to appreciate Vale in the distance and the sweet smell of fresh water before activating his Semblance, converting some of the Aura which radiated from his body into crystal wings. Krev felt the wings expand, telling him that he was finally ready to fly away from Beacon and Yang for, what he hoped, wouldn't be too long.

The Blood Angel had no idea what plans Sapphire and his cult had set in motion almost two decades before. He wasn't sure if one Child of Fate, a technological genius and Silver would be enough to win, but Yang would be safe … she would be happy … and she would forever be the person whom gave him hope and a reason to defy the New Destiny…

A reason to defy fate.

* * *

"Goodbye Yang and … thank you. You have given me _back_ a life without constant suffering, given me hope and given me a reason to save a world I loathe, for _you_, Yang Xiao Long, are a part of it."

Krev's goodbye echoed through her mind, causing Yang more-and-more pain each time she listened to the words.

It had only been a few days, but she loved everything about him. Yang loved the way he talked, the way he carried himself, his fighting style and his complexity – Krev was truly an enigma, or, at least, he _was_ until the previous night.

Before the battle they had talked for hours, opening up to each other by telling their tragic pasts. Yang had felt an instant connection with Krev and she knew it was reciprocated, so _why_ didn't he want to act on his feelings! Was he running away, or did he honestly believe there was something between her and Blake?!

But there was nothing between them!

She admitted Blake might have been a lot like him, but Yang had no romantic feelings for her! Blake, like Krev, might have used a soft, yet serious tone, carried herself with passion, grace and attitude, possessed an amazing fighting style, _and_ was complex and elegantly beautiful, but that didn't mean that Yang….

_What? Why did I just think 'elegantly beautiful'? No! That doesn't prove anything! I was just giving a friend a compliment, that's all._

Yang wanted to convince herself otherwise, but she couldn't help but think back to recent events and began to see why Krev had come to his conclusion.

She hugged Blake on the day before the dance and winked at her. She danced with Blake and brought no date to the dance for some reason, even though she could have taken _any_ boy she wanted. Yang then thought about the previous day, about how angry she became when she saw Sapphire trying to kill Blake, how she comforted Blake after the fight and how she _still_ comforted Blake after leaving the medical wing despite being depressed over Krev's imminent departure.

Yang quickly turned on the spot to see if Krev was still nearby to leave everything on good terms. For a moment she believed Krev had flown away forever, but then she saw the moonlight glinting off his crystal wings when they expanded.

Yang was awestruck by the sheer power he possessed and the grace of his Semblance again, feeling like she had done when they first met.

"Krev, wait!" she yelled.

He looked like he was about leap into the air and fly away, but Krev turned around and looked at her with his usual, mournful expression.

"Good luck with everything," she said in a gentle tone.

Yang opted for the classic 'good luck' to leave them on good terms.

"You too," he said, "and I don't just mean with your education. From everything you told me about Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, it sounds like the Breach was just the beginning."

"You can talk," she said in a cheerful manner.

"I know, and the more I've thought about them," Krev began, "the more I realised our problems are more alike than we originally believed, so please Yang, don't let yourself or anyone you love die because of your enemy."

Krev's expression slightly changed before returning to normal, indicating, for a brief second at least, he thought about Valery. Yang knew within that instance he would _always_ feel guilty about every death caused by Sapphire's possessor.

"Goodbye, Yang," he said one last time.

"Goodbye, Krev," she whispered, the words hurting her.

Krev threw her a quick smile before crouching to the ground, spreading his wings and fanning them, generating enough air in a single movement to launch him into the sky.

Yang watched him journey to Vale, smiling as she realised he wouldn't be flying over the city as the feared and hated Blood Angel, but as Krev Melek, a liberated soul defying fate.

* * *

**A/N: So there you have it, the main conclusion to Defying Fate. I would say more, but there's an epilogue to this story which doesn't only include an interesting ending, but an extensive author's note at the bottom. **

**See you at the end, **

**ChildOfFate16 **


	14. Epilogue: Omen

**Epilogue: Omen**

Yang had stayed on the landing pad and watched the airships passing over the city long after Krev had vanished from view, but as it crept into the early hours of the next day, Yang could feel herself getting more exhausted with every passing second, so four hours after saying goodbye, Yang decided it was time for bed.

As she walked back to Beacon, Yang thought about Krev and how it felt to actually say goodbye; it still felt depressing and she knew she would always miss him, but she wasn't heartbroken like before when he refused to kiss her, but as Krev has pointed out, there was perhaps a reason for that.

_Was there though? Do I really have feelings for Blake? Or am I in denial over Krev's departure? Am I heartbroken by Krev leaving and know it would be too painful to admit it, so I'm suppressing my true feelings?_

Yang had never imagined having romantic feelings for another girl before, so her actions towards Blake – some of the actions Krev had seen – might have been her being friendly and taking care of the Faunus.

_But didn't Krev notice that throw her 'cute, shy glances' when Blake's not looking? Didn't he point out how I reacted to her getting injured? Haven't I admitted how strange it was for me not to take a boy to the dance? _

_But what if Krev saw nothing between me and Blake? What if it was his subconscious mind fabricating romantic interactions between me and my partner to give him a reason to leave? But why? Was he just _that _determined to carry out his mission and he didn't know it … or did Krev believe he never deserves happiness after everything that's happened throughout his life, including last night? _

Yang felt another complex set of questions coming to fruition, but she didn't want to be tormented by, or obsess over, finding answers. Yang decided she would try to uncover her true feelings towards Blake through subtle methods in order to protect herself and her team – the way she wished to search for her mother. But if it turned out to be a fabrication on Krev's part, Yang only hoped he would see the truth in his own time and perhaps, one day, they could start a future together…

Yang continued her journey towards the school, too tired to think about anything else which demanded any brainpower. She continued like this for a while, at least until she was between the two pillars which framed the pathway which, in turn, led to the statue of the Huntsman and the Huntress slaying a Beowolf.

As she passed under the structure which used the pillars for support, Yang decided to look-up to glance at the statue, the 'symbol of our twisted society' as Krev had put it before heading to bed, but when she looked up, Yang was met with a familiar sight which made her stop dead in her tracks.

Standing several feet away and just in front of the statue was the woman who'd saved Yang's life a few days ago, the woman who was dressed in red and black and wearing what appeared to be a Grimm mask.

Yang was pretty sure the woman was the _exact_ _same_ person who saved her from Torchwick's annoying henchman, but was she a member of the White Fang if she was wearing the Grimm mask? Was she here to cause trouble if she really was associated with the group?

Yang was tired, depressed and confused, so she wasn't in the mood to fight, but she had to confront the woman and find out who was under that mask in case it was … well, in case she was someone important.

Trying to look as tough as possible, Yang marched forward, but shortly stopped a few feet away from the stranger in case the situation turned into a fight.

Yang stared at the woman for a few moments, an angry expression plastered on her young face as she asked the question she feared the answer to, the question that could lead to her heart being broken again for the second time in one night.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The woman said nothing. Instead, the stranger placed a hand over her mask and slowly pulled it off.

The pace with which the woman removed her mask was frustrating, causing Yang's eyes to turn blood-red as she waited, but then the mask was gone and the stranger looked at her, opening her eyes to reveal a pair of mirroring, crimson orbs.

Yang felt her soul warm from the sight of the woman, but she didn't want to believe what she was seeing and kept her mind focused, in case this was some kind of elaborate trap as Ruby had suggested.

"Yang," the woman spoke, her voice gentle and comforting. "We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

**A/N: Well, the fate given to Krev has been defied during this story, but who was the mysterious man who possessed Sapphire? Where and **_**who**_** are the other 'Children' like Krev and Sapphire? I know I didn't answer everything, but as I've mentioned before I plan to write another story to answer the questions I raised, not the one's given by the RWBY production team though – I feel like they aren't my answers to give.**

**Just to clarify, I began this story the day after the Breach in Volume 2 Chapter 12, but before the post credit sequence, which I depicted in the epilogue above and left ambiguous on purpose. I know a number of people think this might be a dream sequence and Yang is imagining Raven to look like her instead of the meeting happening in real life, so I left it so you can think to yourself: 'Yang is tired, so did she really leave the landing pad and make her way back to the school where she met Raven, or did Yang fall asleep on the landing pad and dream it?'**

**I'm basically covering myself for either reveal in Volume 3, or any other future volumes. **

**I hope you enjoyed and I thank everyone who's read this story. Please leave a review because I appreciate any and all feedback – except negative feedback :) But really, in all seriousness, I do wish to hear what you felt about Defying Fate as I prepare the next entry in the Children of Fate series. **

**Until next time (which will probably be after Volume 3),**

**ChildOfFate16**


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